Coming of Age in Samoa is controversial but the claim that Mead was actively lying is pretty untenable.
The main point of contention is that some of Mead's subjects, 40 years and a conversion to Christianity later, denied having had casual sex as young women and claimed that they were playing a practical joke on her.
Whether they were telling the truth then and if so to what extent they're representative of Mead's other subjects is a thorny issue, to say the least.
The main point of contention is that some of Mead's subjects, 40 years and a conversion to Christianity later, denied having had casual sex as young women and claimed that they were playing a practical joke on her.
Whether they were telling the truth then and if so to what extent they're representative of Mead's other subjects is a thorny issue, to say the least.