Coming Of Age in America

Margaret Mead, unlike many in her field, realized that society was not a predetermined product, but something that was produced through our beliefs and behaviors. Mead became the first Anthropologist to study a foreign society in the field, actually living with the society to better understand them. Her work has become the stepping-stone for Anthropology today and is still studied today. In this paper I will explore Margaret Meads’ book Coming of Age in Somoa and why it was a forefront to anthropology, but has become a controversy in modern anthropology.
Margaret Mead revolutionized the way in which a culture is viewed. Before Meads’ work, American theorists had observed the beliefs and behaviors of Americans, and from their observations they had developed characteristics, which they claimed were due to the period. From their observations the theorists concluded, “This is a difficult period.” Mead questioned these theories, particularly those dealing with adolescents, saying ...