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.