Critique of Mead
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/field-manus.html
7. Field Notes
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/field-sepik.html
8. Card in Board Game
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/oneworld-char.html
#7
#8
Critique of Mead
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/images/mm0129s.jpg
Alfred L. Kroeber. Letter to Margaret Mead, May 14, 1931.
“In a 1931 review of Growing Up In New Guinea, Alfred Kroeber (1876-1960) criticized
Mead for her ahistorical outlook and for not including sufficient ethnographic data to
support her conclusions. He also noted that she had an aesthetic gift for conceptualization
"approaching genius." Kroeber had been Franz Boas' first Ph. D. student and was one of
the most eminent anthropologists of the time. Mead was troubled by his critique and
wrote him to thank him for the praise he gave her in the review and to answer his
criticisms. This letter is Kroeber's response.”
#7
Field Notes
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/images/mm0140bp1s.jpg
Margaret Mead. Notes on squares from Tchambuli trip, ca. Spring 1933.
“From the discussions she had with Bateson and Fortune along the Sepik, Mead
attempted, ultimately unsuccessfully, to articulate a unified theory of culture and
personality. She referred to this as the theory of "squares." It was based on a fourfold
system, with "compass points" labelled North ("caring possessive"), South ("careful
responsive") , East ("careful possessive"), and West ("caring responsive").
This is an early attempt by Mead to diagram the squares. Note that she has included
the names of some of her friends on the diagram, and the names of cultures. She
has put herself at the southern point, along with sociologist Helen Lynd (1894-1982).
At the North she has listed Franz Boas; to the northwest, Ruth Benedict; to the
northeast, Karen Horney. Tchambuli men are to the southwest and women to the
northeast. Mundugumor are northern and Arapesh southern.”
#8
Card in Board Game
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mead/images/mm0247gs.jpg
Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. "Disaster for Dictators: Crippled Industries,"
"Danger for Democracies: Corruption in Industries," "Danger for Democracies:
Destruction of Food," and "Disaster for Dictators: Food shortage," playing cards for
board game, ca. 1940.
This series of cards comes from a board game developed and marketed by Mead and
Bateson as part of their work on national defense and morale. The game is premised on
"the basic ideas that Democracies and Dictators play by different rules and work with
different values." The game was designed so that it could be played by both children and
adults. "Ideally," wrote Mead, "for propaganda purposes it should be played by the whole
family with Papa explaining the points." Despite Mead's efforts to sell the game to Parker
Brothers, it was never commercially produced.