Selection fromComing of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead.
Margaret Mead, born in 1901, was the best known anthropologist of 20th Century. She began her career doing field work Samoa; 1928, she publishedComing Age Samoa. This study adolescent girls used by Mead to reflect on socialization processes for children and adolescents our own society. In excerpt reprinted here casual, conflict-free lives that believed were lived Samoan question effects demands challenges we place adolescents.Mead not interested importing culture North America, however. Rather, using anthropological methods, hoped could see more clearly how treat adolescents, what stresses them, role plays this context, thus be better able prepare youth their complex modern High priority would placed raising who are open-minded, flexible, willing learn think, rather than accept indoctrination uncritically. Anthropology, hoped, has ability give us these cultural perspectives ways few other styles thought do.