Margaret Mead, 1901-1978: A Public Face of Anthropology

Many consider her the most influential social science researcher of the 20th century. Yet some experts say her research depended too much on observation and local stories. Transcript of radio broadcast:

17 January 2010

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

Margaret MeadAnd I'm Shirley Griffith with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today we tell about one of the most influential social scientists of the last century -- the cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

People around the world mourned the death of Margaret Mead in nineteen seventy-eight. A year later, the president of the United States, Jimmy Carter, honored the social scientist with America's highest award for civilians.

Another honor came from a village in New Guinea. The people there planted a coconut tree in her memory. Margaret Mead would have liked that. As a young woman, she had studied the life and traditions of the village.

Miz Mead received such honors because she added greatly to public knowledge of cultures and traditions in developing countries. Many people consider her the most influential social science researcher of the twentieth century.

Yet some experts said her research was not scientific. They said she depended too much on observation and local stories. They said she did not spend enough time on comparative studies. They believed her fame resulted as much from her colorful personality as from her research.