FREE ESSAY ON MARGARET MEAD

MARGARET MEAD

Mead, Margaret 
Mead, Margaret (1901-78), American anthropologist, widely known for her studies of
primitive societies and her contributions to social anthropology.Mead was born in
Philadelphia on December 16, 1901, and was educated at Barnard College and at Columbia
University. In 1926 she became assistant curator of ethnology at the American Museum of
Natural History in New York City, and she subsequently served as associate curator
(1942-64) and as curator (1964-69). She was director of research in contemporary cultures
at Columbia University from 1948 to 1950 and adjunct professor of anthropology there
after 1954. In 1968 she was appointed full professor and head of the social science
department in the Liberal Arts College of Fordham University at Lincoln Center in New
York. She also served on various government and international commissions and was a
controversial speaker on modern social issues.Participating in several field expeditions,
Mead conducted notable research in New Guinea, Samoa Islands, and Bali. Much of her work
was devoted to a study of patterns of child rearing in various cultures. She also
analyzed many problems in contemporary American society, particularly those affecting
young people. Her interests were varied, including child care, adolescence, sexual
behavior, and American character and culture. Mead died in New York City on November 15,
1978. 
Bibliography
Her writings include Coming of Age in Samoa (1928), Growing Up in New Guinea (1930), Sex
and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935), Male and Female (1949), Soviet
Attitudes Toward Authority (1951), New Lives for Old (1956), Culture and Commitment: A
Study of the Generation Gap (1970), and her memoirs, Blackberry Winter (1972).