Margaret Mead was an influential 20th century anthropologist who studied how culture and environment shape human behavior and development. Her most famous work, Coming of Age in Samoa, analyzed the transition to adulthood in Samoan society and found that Samoan adolescents experienced less stress and conflict compared to American youth. However, Mead's work has also faced criticism for potentially misrepresenting Samoan culture. Overall, Mead was an early proponent of the view that gender roles and social norms are culturally determined rather than biologically fixed.

1. Margaret Mead and
Education
By: Chelsea Ellis

2. Introduction
 ANTHROPOLOGY
 A new science in the 1920’s
 The study of People
 Mead’s teacher- Franz Boas
 Franz Boas
 Believed all people basically the same
 Influences
 Freud
 Erik Erikson
 Gestalt Psychology of Kurt Lewin

3. Primitive Societies
Mead Freud
 Historically and culturally  Biology dictates one’s place
women’s status changed in society
depending on their societal
condition  Women who go against it
suffered from “penis envy”

4. Coming of Age in Samoa
 The study of transition from childhood to
adulthood
 Applied to girls who reached puberty
 Awkward Age

5. Gender Roles
Boys Girls
 In charge of work and  4-5 years old
planning for the village  In charge of babies and
toddlers
 Learn diverse skills like
fishing, building, orating  Puberty
 Perform more physical
tasks like harvesting crops
 No longer in charge of
child-rearing
 Begin work of making
mats and dowry gifts for
relatives

6. Samoan Adolescence
 Not a period of crisis or stress
 Develop interests and activities
 Not perplexed by conflicts, philosophical queries, or
remote ambitions
 Can take lovers until married for as long as possible

7. Education
America Samoa
 Praises “experimental  The brightest kids have to
educators” (Weisberg, hold themselves back
2001, p. 153)  The dullest child is helped
 Creates the feeling that all
are equally capable
 Is this good or bad?

8. The Manus Culture
 Education
 Physical Training
 Children never start a feat too soon
 Children are never allowed to back track
 How can we apply this to education?

9. The Manus Culture

10. Critics: Freeman
 Mead-Freeman Controversy
 Absolute Cultural Determinist
 Accused of fitting behavior and cultural patterns
into research
 Should have been investigating her research
problem more
 Boas- Mead relationship
 Result: Other critics believe Freeman
misrepresented Mead’s views

11. References
Barry, N. M. (1991). Margaret Mead: Overview. Feminist Writers.
Cote, J. E. (2000). Was coming of Age in Samoa Based on
“Fateful Hoaxing”? Current Anthropology, 41(4), 617-620.
Http://boulderjewishnews.org/2010/how-a-nature-vs-nurture-debate-
got-ugly/
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/field-manus.html
Mead, M. (1928). Coming of Age in Samoa: A psychological
study of primitive youth for western civilisation. New
York: William Morrow & Co.

12. References Cont…
Overview: Coming of Age in Samoa. (1928). Gale Online
Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: http://
www.go.galegroup.com
Simeone, L. (2001). Interview: Mary Catherine Bateson and
William Beeman Discuss Anthropologist Margaret Mead’s
Legacy. Weekend All Things Considered. (NPR).
Weisberg, D. Coming of Age in Samoa and Nebraska (2001).
Nepantia, 2(1), 139-154.