Quest for the Real Samoa: The Mead/Freeman Controversy and Beyond

(Paperback)

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Mr. Holmes' study is . . . the basic stuff of competent ethnography, that combination of science and art in which the details of daily life are systematically observed, analyzed and constructed into a cultural account. . . He concludes that Margaret Mead was essentially correct in her depiction of coming of age in Samoa in 1925, concerned as she was to compare it with adolescence in the United States at that time. New York Times Book Review Thanks to Holmes' compelling review of the `great debate,' we see [all these things] more clearly because he is acting as more than just an informed guide to the facts and the issues; he is providing an insightful exposition on the nature of anthropological inquiry. Science Book & Films

Reviews

"Thanks to Homes' compelling review of the great debate, ' we see [all these things] more clearly because he is acting as more than just an informed guide to the facts and the issues; he is providing an insightful exposition on the nature of anthropological inquiry."-Science Books & Films
Mr. Holmes' study is . . . the basic stuff of competent ethnography, that combination of science and art in which the details of daily life are systematically observed, analyzed and constructed into a cultural account. . . . He concludes that Margaret Mead was essentially correct in her depiction of coming of age in Samoa in 1925, concerned as she was to compare it with adolescence in the United States at that time.-The New York Times Book Review
Readers will enjoy this inside look at a scientific cause celebre.-Booklist
Thanks to Homes' compelling review of the great debate, ' we see [all these things] more clearly because he is acting as more than just an informed guide to the facts and the issues; he is providing an insightful exposition on the nature of anthropological inquiry.-Science Books & Films
Worth reading. . . . For Freeman, the ultimate issue is the reputation of Mead's ideas on Samoan adolescence. For Holmes there is a deeper appreciation of the possibilities of Samoan ethnography. To get beyond the Mead/Freeman controversy, it is this latter path that should be explored.-American Anthropologist
"Readers will enjoy this inside look at a scientific cause celebre."-Booklist
"Worth reading. . . . For Freeman, the ultimate issue is the reputation of Mead's ideas on Samoan adolescence. For Holmes there is a deeper appreciation of the possibilities of Samoan ethnography. To get beyond the Mead/Freeman controversy, it is this latter path that should be explored."-American Anthropologist
"Mr. Holmes' study is . . . the basic stuff of competent ethnography, that combination of science and art in which the details of daily life are systematically observed, analyzed and constructed into a cultural account. . . . He concludes that Margaret Mead was essentially correct in her depiction of coming of age in Samoa in 1925, concerned as she was to compare it with adolescence in the United States at that time."-The New York Times Book Review