| Mead, Margaret 1901-1978. American anthropologist noted for her landmark studies of adolescence and sexual behavior in traditional cultures. Her books include Coming of Age in Samoa (1928). |
An American anthropologist of the twentieth century, who revolutionized the field of anthropology in 1928 with her book Coming of Age in Samoa, which emphasized the role of social convention rather than biology in shaping human behavior. In later writings, she described how the behavior of men and women differed from one culture to another and thereby challenged the notion that all gender differences were innate.