A dazzling group portrait of Franz Boas, the founder of cultural anthropology, and his circle of women scientists, who upended American notions of race, gender, and sexuality in the 1920s and 1930s--a sweeping chronicle of how our society began to question the basic ways we understand other cultures and ourselves.

A selection of letters by the author written from Samoa where she was conducting anthropological fieldwork, beginning in 1925. -- From book jacket.

"Born in the first year of the 20th century, it is fitting that Margaret Mead should have been one of the first anthropologists to use anthropological analysis to study the future course of human civilization. This volume collects, for the first time, twenty five of her most prescient writings on the future of humanity and how humans can shape that future through purposeful action. For Mead, the study of the future grew naturally out of her lifelong...

Documentary on the role of dance and trance in Balinese culture, with special attention to children's learning and participation. Viewed in contemporary footage and in films made by Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson in the l930s, dance is depicted as an important component in Balinese education, beginning in early childhood and continuing in the public schools and as an after-school activity. Trance dances, such as the kris dance for adults, are examined...