Bringing together cutting-edge, multidisciplinary papers that weigh in on central issues of the world and social science, the collection consider power, elites, and nonelites in a new, inclusive way, drawing in researchers who deal with topics central to elite theory, but who might not be represented in more classic statements of it.

Rebecca Jean Emigh is Professor of Sociology at The University of California, Los Angeles, USA. She is a comparative historical sociologist who specializes in long-term social change and the author of multiple prize-winning articles and books on a range of topics, including capitalism, censuses, social theory, and historical demography.

Dylan Riley is Professor of Sociology at The University of California, Berkeley and author of The Civic Foundations of Fascism in Europe and Antecedents of Censuses and Changes in Censuses.