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Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies
First published in 1935, Sex & Temperament is a fascinating and brilliant anthropological study of the intimate lives of three New Guinea tribes from infancy to adulthood. Focusing on the gentle, mountain-dwelling Arapesh, the fierce, cannibalistic Mundugumor, and the graceful headhunters of Tchambuli -- Mead advances the theory that many so-called masculine and femini...more
Paperback, 352 pages
Published
May 22nd 2001
by Harper Perennial
(first published 1935)
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Feb 22, 2011
Valerie
added it
Margaret Mead had more notoriety than her contemporaries (compare her to her schoolmate Ruth Benedict, for example). The students of Franz Boas changed anthropology to such a degree that many of the criticisms of their work tend to blame them for not going far enough along the trails they blazed. People in Mead's time tended, for example, to criticize her for getting TOO much involved in the personal experiences of her 'subjects'--now she's considered too dry and impersonal.
Mead was a puckish,...more
Mead was a puckish,...more
I feel like it's unfair to give such an important anthropological work a low rating, but in terms of my personal enjoyment of the book, it really was "just okay." Like most early anthropological texts, the writing is dry. Margaret Mead positions herself distantly from her "subjects," and looks at the three New Guinean societies with an etic perspective. I think it's worth looking at if you're a student interested in how the early study of anthropology impacted feminism or gender roles (i.e. the...more
This ethnography discusses the different gender roles in three different cultures, each located in the same country: New Guinea. The Arapesh believe that both women and men become pregnant when the woman is pregnant, and will perform the same child rearing duties as women. The Mundugumor are cannabalistic and both men and women do not give a lot of physical affection to their children. The Tchambuli men believe that art is important, and it is their role in society to pursue the arts while the w...more
Il carattere antropologico del libro è già un punto a favore nel mio giudizio. Amo i saggi e le costruzioni narrative intorno ad esso, le esplorazioni più inconsuete ed approfondite. La fortuna di questo libro impegnativo è che riesce a sfatare la naturale convinzione che il sesso dia origine di per sé a differenti temperamenti. Il pensiero che possano trattarsi di condizioni socialmente realizzate anziché biologiche è difficile da comprendere, ma avventurandosi nella lettura attenta di diverse...more
I liked it not for the ethnography but for the time capsule of feminist thought.
Bien que les théories de Margaret Mead aient été remises en cause de nombreuses fois, ses observations des tribus océaniennes nous montrent à quel point la société façonne l'être humain et que rien n'est "prédéfini". Agréable à lire, on s'imagine très bien se retrouver au milieu d'un village Arapesh ou à une fête Chambuli. Margaret Mead nous donne à travers ce livre une vision des relations homme-femme; non seulement dans les sociétés claniques, mais nous renvoie également au rapport entre les s...more
One of the best anthropological read thus far.
Very interesting read.
Culture provides us with roles connected with values, these roles are shaping our behaviour, but it also limits our potential where our personality is not in agreement with these roles... Society needs to provide many more sets of roles, not limited by sex, social gifts or status. Schools, families, working places should allow greater variety in values, expressing higher tolerance with diversity...
Good summary and introduction in this book, feels fresh after 60 years.
Good summary and introduction in this book, feels fresh after 60 years.
I hate to say this but it just didn't capture my attention for very long. I suppose the problem is that I went into this reading it as a lay person but the writing was a bit too dry for me to be swept up into it.
I learned that I live in bubble, and that exploring other worlds, cultures, beliefs, as well as adopting a multiple truths approach to life...should climb up to the top of my to do list.
margaret mead's classic work in feminist anthropology. she scopes out various native tribes in new guinea, where gender dynamics are different, or somewhat reverse, of the western definitions.
Jan 03, 2008
Mike
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anthropology Majors
Recommended to Mike by:
Doctor What's-His-Face
Not bad for an Anthro text book
Scheduled to reread, actually
Jun 13, 2013
Mikiko
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Jun 12, 2013
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Margaret Mead was an American cultural anthropologist who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the '60s and '70s as a popularizer of the insights of anthropology into modern American and western life but also a respected, if controversial, academic anthropologist.
Her reports as to the purportedly healthy attitude towards sex in South Pacific and Southeast Asian...more
More about Margaret Mead...
Her reports as to the purportedly healthy attitude towards sex in South Pacific and Southeast Asian...more
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02. Februar, 07:59 Uhr