Coming of Age in Somoa
Margaret Mead’s “Coming of Age in Samoa”, which was actually her doctoral dissertation, was compiled in a period of six months starting in 1925.
Through it, people were given a look at a society not affected by the problems of 20th century industrial America. She illustrated a picture of a society where love was available for the asking and crime was dealt with by exchanging a few mats. This book helps one to realize the large role played by social environment. One of Mead’s biggest challenges was probably the fact that her fieldwork was done entirely in the Samoan language. In Samoa, few, if any natives spoke English.
To get information, Mead spent her time talking to approximately 25 Samoan women. However, she spent much of her focus on two young Samoan women, Fa’apua’a
Fa’amu and Fofoa. It is said that one Samoan woman’s life is very much like the next. At the time of her visit to Samoa, Mead, a graduate student was only 23 years old. She was barely older than the girls she interviewed and lovingly called her “merry companions”. The vision recieved while reading “Coming of Age in Samoa” is that it is a place of nearly stress free living. The children pass through adolescence without the many pressures put upon teenagers in an industrial America: ...adolescence represented no period of crisis or stress,but was instead an orderly developing of a set of slowly maturing interests and activities (95).
According to Mead, families are large, taboos and restrictions are few, and disagreements are settled by the giving of mats. The stresses encountered by American teenagers are unknown to their Samoan counterparts. Mead refers to premarital sex as the “pastime par excellence” for Samoan youth. She writes that Samoa is a virtual paradise of free love, as the young people from 14 years of age until they are married have nothing on their minds except sex. Of Samoan girls Mead says:
She thrusts virtuosity away from her as she thrusts away
from her every other sort of responsibility with the invariable
comment, “Laitit a’u” (“I am but young”). All of her interest
is expanded on clandestine sex adventures (33).
She explains that growing up can be free, easy and uncomplicated. Romantic love in Samoa is not bound with ideas of monogamy, exclusiveness, jealousy and fidelity as it is in America. Evidently, due to the lack of priva...
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...ons. After a girl is eight or nine years old she has learned not to approach a group of older boys. However, when it comes to younger boys, they are taught to antagonize them. The boys are considered “older” after they have been circumcised. When a girl is looking for her first lover, she looks to an older man, most often a widower or a divorcee. There are two types of sexual relations other than marriage that are recognized by Samoans. These include love affairs between unmarried young people, and also adultery. Although virginity is not expected in girls, Mead claims that it defiantly adds to their attractiveness. Essentially, having sex with a virgin is much more of a feat for a man than sex with a girl who is not. Marriage in Samoa is regarded as a social and economic arrangement in which relative wealth, rank and the skill of both husband and wife must be considered. In conclusion, Margaret Mead’s dissertation on Samoa is still interesting after 75 years. The customs of Samoans, especially those regarding sex are very interesting to people of other cultures. This society rests most of their regard on love and happiness and seem to have been successful in achieving that
The first chapter begins with an exploration of love and marriage in many ancient and current cultures. Surprisingly many cultures either avoid the discussion of love in marriage or spit on the idea completely. China and other societies believed that love was simply a product of marriage and shouldn’t get too out of hand, while a few Greek and Roman philosophers shunned excessive
When the authors begin to discuss these children as being sexual individuals it make its somewhat difficult to read as in society we often view children as innocent, vulnerable and in need of protection from adults. However the authors make it clear that children are not asexual, they do experience arousal and engage in sexual practices. This from of adult understanding still remains taboo in s...
“The Sambia: Ritual, Sexuality, and Change in Papua New Guinea” is a book written by Gilbert Herdt. It is based on a case study Herdt did during the 1970’s of the culture of the Sambia people. His study took place in Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea. He didn’t know much about their language, however through out his time there he was able to learn their language and customs. As he settled into their village, he mostly slept in the clubhouse with the other Nilangu villagers; however, eventually they built a house for him to stay at. Herdt had a great interest in gaining new knowledge about the Sambia culture.
Since these traditions have become apparent through centuries they are customary and have a tendency to lack individualism, as the group among which a person lives is seen as more important over the individual. In many parts of the world today, you can examine such cultures and see the ways that individuals offer themselves to family and community life.
Other cultures are interesting because they are different and we don’t usually understand the things that they do and why they do them. Learning about other people’s traditions from all over the world shows the diversity in people’s beliefs, habits and routine occurrences in everyday lives.
They all have their own practices and traditions but underneath of that they all connect in some sort of way. All three cultures have a consistent way of perpetrating education, practicing different beliefs, and using some ways of technology. In all it is very interesting to see all of the similarities and differences between the cultures, and I think it is very important to expose people to the different life styles people can have because it shows the acceptance and the varied practices people in our world really
Every culture has its own unique values, beliefs and norms. Culture defines the identity and interests of a society. Understanding other’s culture is crucial in preparing ourselves for the global experience in the twenty-first century. As the world is becoming more connected to each other, interaction between cultures is unavoidable. I consider myself lucky to live in one of the most diverse cities in the world where I get chance to interact with people of different cultures. In this paper, I will discuss my findings about Family Structure in a Mexican culture, and Dating and Marriage in an African / Gabonese culture. Having a chance to understand various cultures, I realized that beliefs and practices tend to vary from culture to culture.
This book serves to teach readers about the varieties of cultures, social
...l Perspective. Cliffs Quick Review: Sociology (p. 13). Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, Inc..
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
There has recently been an increase in casual sex and promiscuity throughout millennials. Although millennials have fewer partners, they are having more casual hookups. Today, “a large generation gap in both attitudes toward premarital sex and number of sexual partners” is greatly affecting our society (Kaplan). Promiscuity is increasing and close relationships are fading. Many are worried the world of dating will soon disappear. This promiscuity “creates a sense that hooking up has replaced traditional dating as the primary means of developing and maintaining relationships among young people, especially college students” (“Is Casual Sex on The Rise in America”). People are not marrying until later in life. They spend much of their younger years single, but not alone. They jump around from person to person, such as in Huxley’s dystopia. Although, unlike Huxley’s dystopia, relationships still exist. Many eventually find their partner and become married later on in
Margaret Mead was a great scientist, explorer, writer, and teacher, who educated the human race in many different ways. In the next few paragraphs I will discuss the different ways Margaret Mead, Anthropologist, effected our society. Margaret Mead was born in Philadelphia on December 16, 1901, and was educated at Barnard College and at Columbia University. In 1926 she became assistant curator of ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, and she served as associate curator and as curator. She was director of research in contemporary cultures at Columbia University from 1948 to 1950 and professor of anthropology there after 1954. Participating in several field expeditions, Mead conducted notable research in New Guinea, Samoa, and Bali. Much of her work was devoted to a study of patterns of child rearing in various cultures. She also analyzed many problems in contemporary American society, particularly those affecting young people. Her interests were varied, including childcare, adolescence, sexual behavior, and American character and culture. Margaret Mead taught generations of Americans about looking carefully and openly at other cultures to understand the complexities of being human. Margaret Mead brought the serious work of anthropology to public consciousness. Mead studied at Barnard College, where she met the great anthropologist Franz Boas. Franz Boas became her mentor and her advisor when she attended graduate school at Columbia University. Mead's work is largely responsible for the treasures on view in the Museum's Hall of Pacific Peoples. In addition to her work at the Museum, Margaret Mead taught, and wrote more best selling books. She contributed a regular column to Redbook magazine. She was also lectured, and was frequently interviewed on radio and television.
Because there was a well-established mission on the island, some of the girls spoke in English and several of them became close friends which helped to build up a detailed portrait of Soma adolescence. Those girls that Mead studied now are the elders of the island. It was their answer to her question about life and love infidelity that had such an impact on the people back home. Mead’s findings were published in her first book, Coming of Age in Samoa, but there are some problems with her accountant of life in Samoa in the 1920s. Critics have claimed that she missed certain important aspects of Samoan life. She spent only six months on the island and most of the time living with an American family rather than amongst the Samoa people. This had made people wander whether she could have really grasped the full complexity of cement culture and whether for that matter she could’ve fully mastered the unusually difficult Samoan time. Asking people about personal and intimate areas of their lives is not easy even in your own language. What can be said is that Mead was suddenly struck by the differences between adolescents in Samoa and
Margaret Mead was an educated woman and led a life of excitement. Margaret Mead was born on December 16, 1901 and was the first of five children. Her father was a professor of finance at the Wharton School University of Pennsylvania, and her mother was a sociologist. Her family moved around frequently; however, she got her bachelor’s degree from Barnard University in 1923. Mead was married three times. She described her first marriage to Luther Cressman, an anthropologist as her “student marriage”. Mead’s second marriage was to Reo Fortune, also an anthropologist. Mead learned a great amount from these people; they gave mead insight on the anthology field. Her work on “Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies” became a cornerstone for feminists because it reasoned the idea of an equal society.
Concepts of virginity can been seen in all aspects of life, from movies, to books, to even religion. This wide-reaching topic has created many controversies and opinions worldwide. So what exactly is virginity? A person, whether a male or female, is believed to be a virgin, when he or she has not engaged in coitus. However, the value of one’s virginity differs depending on location and a culture’s religion. The perception of virginity also differs depending on gender. In females, virginity has been associated with purity, honor, and worth, whereas virginity in males is often pictured as a “conquest”. Virginity is a subject filled with issues of morality, religion, culture, and gender stereotypes.