From May 25 to 26, 2023, the Young Scholars Workshop Elites and Class - Interrogating the Rich and Powerful in Latin America and Beyond of the Centro de Estudios Latinoamericanos  (CELA) took place at the University of Kassel. Jan Schaller, research associate in the TRAWOS research project elite monitorresearch project, presented a paper on questions of elite perception and assessment by the population from a comparative perspective.

The focus was on the heterogeneous attitudes towards the concept of elites and the difference between the idea of "ideal elites" and the perception of current holders of elite positions in East Germany.

The workshop offered a good opportunity to exchange views on current, often international research work in elite research, to gain alternative perspectives on one's own research work in the Elitenmonitor project and to network with international researchers. In addition, it was extremely beneficial to explain and discuss the East German case with the other, mostly Latin American, participants.