General Systems Design & Anthropological Research Consultancy

What is Anthropological Insight? 

Much about our world, ourselves and what we do and why we do it remains normally hidden from view, and yet what is hidden from view is often of decisive or critical importance in influencing the outcomes of what we do and why we do it. We all bear some kind of culture in society, and this sense of culture that we carry with us in the world is always transparent and invisible to ourselves, and yet it remains coercive and socially compulsive, even psychologically so, in ways we often do not see, much less understand. 

Strange it may seem to argue that serial killers are cultural phenomena, at least as much as they are idiosyncratically individualistic, and they are as much culturally motivated to stalk their prey and kill and kill again as they may be said to be psycho-pathologically motivated in their behavior. But the recurrence and prevalence of serial killing entails that it is indeed a culturally-related phenomena, and anyone who ignores this critical insight misses a means for both preventing and rehabilitating the "problem" and the person in the first place.

Anthropological insight is the ability to see beneath the surface, and to understand in an unbiased and objective manner a problem in its full depth and breadth of complexity and in the contextuality of its natural setting in the world.  Anthropological insight is the ability to see a "problem" and another person for what they in fact and in complexity truly are, divested of the attitudes and prejudicial frames that we normally, subconsciously project onto such symbolic stimuli.

Anthropological insight allows us the ability to see our own projections upon problems and people in the world from a reflexive standpoint as symbolic constructions with their own internal implications and motivations. It allows us thus to step away and back from a problem and to "depersonalize" the problem as something that is not necessarily a part of oneself.

Anthropologists are trained as critical, empirical observers. Anthropological insight is an educated view of a problem based upon critical, empirical observation. It allows one to see a problem in alternative ways, and to see dimensions to the problem that are otherwise or normally hidden from view.

One of the key methodologies of ethnographic fieldwork is participant-observation, which is another way of saying that an anthropologist "goes native" and becomes a member of the group, and a part of the reality, they are studying. They do this primarily to get outside of their own preconceived mindsets that they bring with them from the armchair to the field. The challenge of participant-observation is to keep one foot in the game and one foot stably outside--one can go native, but only up to a certain point of no return. One can be adopted as a fictive, surrogate "child" in a culture or a patterned way of life, but one must counter this childlike naivete' of a presentation self with the professional judgment and capacity for understanding that transcends the situation and the ethnographic experience while simultaneously embracing it.

Anthropological insight derives from expertise and expert knowledge relating to a problem.

We offer professional, private consultancy services specialized in general systems design and anthropological based research and troubleshooting. 

There is practically no feasible limit to the range of applicability of our services to real world problem sets or settings. 

There is no problem set or potential project that is too larger or too small that cannot be improved through the timely input of anthropological advice and insight.

We will custom tailor a research design proposal and contract that puts the client's interests and needs in top priority. 

We bring to the conference table in short order innovative insights and solutions to intractable and complex problem sets through the disciplined application of proven, tried and true methods of research and analysis. 

We are open, ethical and transparent in our dealings in the world, and yet we are private, discrete and confidential in maintaining our client's privileged interests.

• We work with clients one on one, one client at a time.

• We tailor contracts to fit the problem and the needs of the client.

• We protect client rights and promote client interests at all points of our

Systems based consultancy is desirable if one is interested in figuring out how to make a framework more efficient in terms of its working components or workability as a framework, more facile and user friendly, and to streamline or develop frameworks.

Systems based consultancy is primarily concerned with Human Systems, or at least with human made systems. It is the human dimension of systems that often most challenge us.

Alternative Anthropological Consulting & Research Services

We are trained and experienced in a wide range of anthropological methods and methodologies. And we have the theoretical skill to back up our methods with deep understanding of the problem and perspectives involved in problem solving. We generally apply a multi-method approach to complex socio-cultural problem solving that have come to include:

• Traditional and Non-traditional Ethnographic Research Methods

• Symbolic Framing Methodologies

• Ethnocultural and Ethnohistorical Research Methodologies

• Applied Anthropological Problem Solving Methodologies

• Knowledge Elicitation Methodologies and Hidden Dimensions Discovery

• Human Problem Definition

• Human Development Strategies and Methodologies

What do we do, and How do we do it?

Basically, we study a problem in minute analytical detail, as comprehensively as possible, leaving no bit or piece of evidence as unimportant, from as many alternative points of view and dimensions of reference and perspective as possible, and then we seek to understand the problem entirely from the standpoint best suggested by the patterning found within the evidence, and not from the standpoint of frames of reference we attribute to that evidence.

We study a problem set holistically and analytically, and we are trained to effectively integrate these two approaches to understanding a problem set and its potential solution. We do not take sides or make pre-judgments in regard to a particular problem set.

We recognize from the outset that many problems are of a nature that may admit of more than one possible solution, though there is a selection among solutions for the best fit, the most optimal, the most facile and the most comprehensive.

What makes us so good at what we do?

There are other gigs, other anthropological troupes, and other games in town. If you want an anthropological fashion show, go somewhere else. If you want no-frills, no spills, down and dirty field anthropology, your our kind of client.

We were not born with a silver anthropological tongue in our mouths, and we got to where we are at through native talent, hard work, tremendous personal and professional sacrifice, and commitment to serious learning. 

Life is always serious, even when we joke about it.  The more serious it sometimes gets, the more we seem to joke. Its our way of staying half sane in a half mad world.

For us, Anthropology was not just a convenient set of life-opportunities that fell casually into our laps because of the color of our skins or the half-ethnic appellations we string to our names--they were a hard-won and hard-defended professional life calling.

We have consistently succeeded in tacking difficult research problems where others have failed. We have a demonstrated first-class track record of successfully conducted and completed anthropological research projects.