An Anthropological Problem, A Complex Solution

Abstract

This article means to introduce complexity science, more specifically agent-based models, to an anthropological audience. It does so by laying out a research problem that has concerned the author for some time—how can illicit drug epidemics be explained? Traditional social research is simply not adequate to the task. After introducing the newer framework of agent-based modeling, the author argues that both complexity and anthropology focus on “a narrative of connections and contingencies.” With an example of an agent-based model from his own work, the author shows the promising synergies between complexity and anthropological theory and practice.