Mead, Margaret

Born into a Quaker family and raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead (1901–78) made an undeniable and long-lasting impact on the social sciences and humanities. Her work is still studied and debated today across a wide range of disciplines, including gender and sexuality studies. Mead was an extremely active public figure, researcher, writer, and teacher. She conducted a multitude of studies and collected vast amounts of anthropological data throughout her life, resulting in numerous published works. Mead's books 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), and Culture and Commitment (1970).

Following the example of her instructor, Mead studied issues related to child rearing, personality, and culture.

Although ...