Sex and Temperament : In Three Primitive Societies

Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: Margaret Mead provided the foundation for many of the attitudes and philosophies of the mid-century's women's movement. Her insights into the culturally-based gender roles was a cornerstone in our understanding of humanity. This profound study of three very different societies, seperated by geography in remote New Guinea, clearly showed that culture can control our behavior. We can only conclude by her research that we must allow freedom for the individual, first and foremost, if we are to fully reach our potential as individuals.

Rating:
Summary: Sadly Outdated Study!
Review: This is a sadly outdated study of gender in archaeology. With so many resources available, such as Gosline's "Archaeogender", why are we still relying on old reprints like this?

Rating:
Summary: Sadly Outdated Study!
Review: This is a sadly outdated study of gender in archaeology. With so many resources available, such as Gosline's "Archaeogender", why are we still relying on old reprints like this?

Rating:
Summary: One of history's most influential frauds
Review: This was one of the most influential books in modern history, but unfortunately for Western society, it was a pseudoscientific fraud. Mead claimed that women were dominant in the Tchambuli tribe, without causing problems. This statement was used as the intellectual cornerstone of the later Women's liberation movement. However, reliable modern references such as Encyclopedia Britannica make no mention of female dominance or power in those tribes, except for infrequent taboo ceremonies by female witches. (That tribe is also called Chambri or Chimbu in modern references.) Mead also described the Arapesh people as pacifist, cooperative, happy folks, and that was used by later Columbia University students such as Kerouac and Ginsberg as the philosphical basis of the Hippy Revolution. Modern references describe the Arapesh as having been just as competitive and warlike as other primitive peoples. (See also "The Samoa Reader" by Hiram Caton.)