Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
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Unit 6
Positioning the Anthropologist
In this unit (to accompany SAPIENS podcast S6E3), students will track the changes in anthropological scholarship by looking at the discipline before and after Margaret Mead’s groundbreaking publication, Coming of Age in Samoa. Students will plot the major theories in anthropology in the 19th and 20th centuries and will evaluate its progression to be more inclusive and to consider positionality, self-reflexivity, and multivocality.
Learning Objectives
- Describe the study of anthropology prior to Margaret Mead and the changes in anthropological scholarship after the publication of her early work.
- Evaluate the development of anthropology toward inclusivity, the positionality of the ethnographer, self-reflexivity, and multivocality.
Sapiens articles
Who Gets to Study Whom?
As the field of anthropology struggles to shed its colonial past, the discipline has inadvertently put constraints on anthropologists of color who already face racism, bias, and discrimination.
Indigenous Cultures Have Archaeology Too
In Papua New Guinea, Indigenous peoples have been interpreting their ancestral landscapes for generations.
Keywords
View All in Colonialism
![The ruins of a gray stone building stand below a cerulean sky with fluffy white clouds.]()
![A gnarled tree stands on a reddish cliff, beyond which stretches a landscape of deeply hued sandstone plateaus that an ox-bowed river cuts through.]()
![Dozens of papers with text on them are punctured and strung horizontally on wires.]()
![Two people sit face-to-face on a bench and sign with each other. Behind them, a mural shows the outline of a human ear with Arabic writing inside it.]()
![A close-up image features two stained-orange hands holding a cluster of objects that look like small, orange strands.]()
![A man with long, dark hair tied in a braid holds up a small child to a mirror, which reflects the child’s pensive face.]()
How Colonialism Invented Food Insecurity in West Africa
Archaeological evidence and Oral Histories show people in what is today Ghana lived sustainably for millennia—until European colonial powers and the widespread trade of enslaved people changed everything.
Gathering Firewood—and Redefining Land Stewardship—at Bears Ears
At Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, a new co-management plan brings together federal agencies and a consortium of Native American tribes—revealing deep tensions over land rights and demands for environmental justice.
Archived Haints
SAPIENS’ 2024 poet-in-residence conjures the voices of those imprisoned in archives.
Gaza’s Deaf Community in the Face of Genocide
An anthropologist who works with deaf communities in the Arabic-speaking Middle East argues that ending Israel’s war on Gaza and occupation of Palestine is a matter of disability justice.
The Land of Dreams
In a dystopian short story, an anthropologist imagines an alternate world in which Kashmiris are forbidden to dream.
Finding Our Way Forward—by Remembering
In a personal essay, a mixed-race and Native anthropologist draws strength from his ancestors.
View All in Ethics
![A large group of people walks down a tree-lined street, with some holding colorful flags.]()
![A person in a dark-blue velvet coat stands face to face with a replica of an ancient dark-colored statue of a man and places their hands on its chest.]()
![People wearing brown and tan coats shop in front of a woman in a pink outfit beneath a neon blue sign that reads SHEIN (pronounced “she-in”).]()
![A large, tan cardboard box sits on a shelf with a label that reads “C2” below it. On two small pieces of black tape on the box’s front side, white letters read “Infant” and “Name Once Known.”]()
![A computer-rendered graphic shows a rocky hill with sparse greenery at its base against a dark blue, starry sky.]()
![Several people crowd into the wide room of a museum exhibit. Beige statues depicting parts of posed human bodies line the side walls of the room.]()
Can Ancient DNA Support Indigenous Histories?
A biological anthropologist reflects on how scientific research can be used to reaffirm or undermine Indigenous land ties in Argentina.
Can Embracing Copies Help With Museum Restitution Cases?
Many museums are wrestling with returning looted or unethically obtained ancient objects. An archaeologist considers how a shift in public attitudes toward plaster and 3D copies could make a difference.
Can “Made in China” Become a Beacon of Sustainability?
In the epicenter of fast fashion, a small cohort of Chinese eco-friendly designers is amplifying the call for a less wasteful and environmentally destructive clothing culture.
Infant, Name Once Known
A poet-anthropologist of the Chickasaw Nation honors infant remains historically used in teaching collections at the University of Illinois.
Taking Cultural Preservation to a New Dimension
A multidisciplinary team of researchers explains historical, cultural, and ethical issues they considered while developing a 3D scan of a South African site to be shared with the world online.
How Museum Items Go Missing
After alleged thefts from the British Museum, a curator explains the challenges of keeping track of collections—and the legal limitations on returning cultural material to source communities.
View All in Methods
![An ape-like mannequin, with protruding facial features and a body covered in fur, stands in a museum exhibition under dramatic lighting. Next to it, a text panel starts, “The human story begins.”]()
![Two people crouch down to create colorful chalk art on a street. Intricate designs and language characters surround a central circular moti]()
![A serene lake is surrounded by a dense forest of evergreen trees. The calm, blue water reflects the clear sky above.]()
![Two side-by-side graphics depict skulls, one facing forward and the other in profile. Both images are outlined in blue and have sections shaded in yellow. The profile image has three red lines spanning across it in two V shapes.]()
![Against a black background, two faces in profile look in opposite directions. The one on the left has straight brown hair with pale skin, and the one on the right has slightly darker skin and disheveled orange hair.]()
![In a wooden structure without walls, three people wearing loincloths and no shirts, and two individuals wearing T-shirts surround and point to spots on a large tan and green map.]()
Lessons From Lucy
Fifty years ago, the remains of an Australopithecus afarensis ancestor, named “Lucy” by archaeologists, rewrote the story of human evolution.
Tackling the Impossibility—and Necessity—of Counting the World’s Languages
A language scientist delves into historic and current efforts to catalog the planet’s 7,000-plus languages, uncovering colorful tales and Herculean challenges.
On the Tracks to Translating Indigenous Knowledge
A team of researchers will journey by railway to Lac Seul First Nation in Canada to better understand alternative ways of seeing the world.
Learning From Snapshots of Lost Fossils
Not all fossil discoveries happen in the field. In museum archives, researchers found photos of remains from Paleolithic children who had belonged to a group of early Homo sapiens in Eurasia.
Excavating the Coexistence of Neanderthals and Modern Humans
An archaeologist explains how remains recently recovered from a cave in present-day Germany suggest that Neanderthals and modern humans populated Europe together for at least 10,000 years.
Finding Footprints Laid at the Dawn of Time
In the Brazilian Amazon, a university-trained archaeologist and Wajãpi Indigenous people understand traces from the past differently—but their partnership bears fruit for both.
Glossary
Inclusivity
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The practice of providing equal opportunities and resources to people from different backgrounds, especially to those from marginalized communities who may otherwise be left out.
Multivocality
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An approach to data collection and interpretation that includes multiple perspectives and worldviews.
Positionality
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The anthropologist’s awareness of their position, power, and perspective compared with the culture they are studying.
Self-Reflexivity
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The practice of self-criticism and reflection to acknowledge and understand how the anthropologist’s own culture and personal experiences influence their views and biases.
Professor Talking Points
- Discuss the strides anthropology has made toward inclusivity and the movement within the discipline to collaborate with and elevate Indigenous voices.
- During the 19th century and early 20th centuries, the field of anthropology was dominated by researchers from colonizing nations. The debate between Derek Freeman and Mead was about their different conclusions regarding Samoan culture, particularly adolescence. Discuss how the voices of Samoans were absent from the conversations.
- Since Mead’s publication in 1928, and the later Mead–Freeman controversy, anthropology has moved to include Indigenous voices and to emphasize the collaboration between those voices and those of anthropologists. Discuss how inclusivity in anthropology and the decolonizing of the discipline allows for a better understanding of the culture being studied.
- Discuss the major theories of cultural anthropology from the 19th to the 21st centuries. Explain how Franz Boas, Mead’s mentor, believed in cultural relativism and how this theory shaped her work. What conclusions did Mead draw from being immersed in Samoan culture?
- Why is inclusivity important in anthropology? Explain the need for multivocality and the insider perspective brought by Indigenous voices. Discuss how those voices were not heard in anthropology in the 19th and early 20th centuries and the impact that had on the field.
- Ask students to debate if enough strides have been made in inclusivity within anthropology.
Academic Articles
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Narayan, Kirin. 1993. “How Native Is a ‘Native’ Anthropologist?” American Anthropologist 95 (3): 671–686.
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Nelson, Peter. 2021. “Where Have All the Anthros Gone? The Shift in California Indian Studies from Research ‘On’ to Research ‘With, For, and By’ Indigenous Peoples.” American Anthropologist 123 (3): 469–473
Student Discussion Questions
- What does inclusivity look like in anthropology? How successful has the field been in moving toward it? What does multivocality entail in anthropology?
- Read the SAPIENS article “Unsung Native Collaborators in Anthropology.” The author points out that Indigenous peoples have often collaborated with anthropologists but without the same recognition as their White counterparts. This was also true for Mead’s work. Have anthropologists improved in this area? What still needs correcting?
- What are the key theories of anthropology over time?
- How has anthropology changed to be more inclusive since the 20th century? How is collaboration cultivated to encourage inclusivity?
- Describe the positionality of the ethnographer, self-reflexivity, and multivocality in anthropology.
Activities
- Create a timeline of the relevant theories in anthropology from the 19th to the 21st centuries.
- Write an essay on the subject of anthropology prior to Mead and discuss the changes that occurred after her publication, Coming of Age in Samoa. Compare the approaches.
- Find three recent examples of anthropological studies that are inclusive. Write an essay evaluating inclusivity, the positionality of the ethnographer, and self-reflexivity in each study.
Additional Resources
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Book: Margaret Mead’s Coming of Age in Samoa
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Film: Frank Heimans’ Margaret Mead and Samoa
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Podcast: Postcolonialism: Anthropological Theory. A Podcast Created by Anthropology Students
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Video: Manufacturing Intellect’s Margaret Mead Interview on Cultural Anthropology (1959)
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Video: Smithsonian Education’s Anthropologies of Inclusion: Recognizing a Common Humanity
Unit By
Jasmine Rubel, Freedom Learning Group
Teaching
The Problems With Coming of Age
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Unit 7
Mead Versus Freeman
