Stil Novo offers training and consultancy
through interdisciplinary research
& applied ethnography

Stil Novo is a unique organisation which combines science and business to create innovative solutions to practical problems. The leading idea is that contemporary society can be better understood when theoretical insights in cultural studies are connected to practical situations, which profits societal imbedded businesses, while at the same time scientific research gains much insight from on-the-ground cultural and commercial phenomena.

Our core activities

Our core activities include setting up and conducting extensive research in most diverse settings, mainly through an ethnographic approach based on an interdisciplinary background in theoretical philosophy, cultural anthropology and history, amongst others. The strategy that proves most valuable is research centered on participant-observation; a situation of mutual learning where both the researcher and the researched approach each other and interact. We provide a more grounded understanding in multi-cultural situations in both modern, urban settings as well as small scale, local practices. We advice companies about the communication and cooperation that crosses national and cultural boundaries. (more)

Please contact us at:

Corrado Boscarino (Chief Executive Officer)
Freek Janssens (Chief Scientific Officer)
General information

Stil Novo is located in Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Our thematic specialisations

Thematically, we conduct research in the broadest plethora of culture and society, however, our previous research and specialist expertise consists in a) food and foodmarkets, b) urban networks, c) notions of modernity and authenticity and d) politics and aesthetics of identity and class.

Our regional specialisations

The geographical scope of our work is unlimited, although we have a vast experience in a) global metropolises in north-western Europe, b) Mediterranean Europe and c) Asia.

Examples of our work

Previous organisations we worked with include the University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, where we investigated the value of interdisciplinary research in a case study on the transformations of social statusses through food -- particularly tuna fishing -- in Sicily, Italy. The goal of this project was to invent and demonstrate a means of attracting a broader audience to scientific debates and simultaneously stimulating science in a popular context. The research was presented in a most innovative way, namely a dinner -- hence the appreciation of the project by Sijbolt Noorda, then Chairman of the Board of Directors of the University, as creating a 'mensa academica.'

In the near future, we will conduct research on the changes of economic and cultural class differences in a VOC-setting for the 'Bataviawerf' museum, Lelystad, The Netherlands. Here, we advise the museum on profitable ways of adding science to their assets, turning the museum from a place that preserves history into a dynamic place where history is actualised. It is expected that this will strengthen the museum's position in the larger European area and hereby attract more visitors in the long term. In this project, we plan to create internships for students of the local ROC cookery school.