MARGARET MEAD AND GREGORY BATESON IN THE SEPIK, 1938: A TIMELY POLEMIC FROM A LOST ANTHROPOLOGICAL EFFLORESCENCE

Authors

Eric Kline Silverman, Wheelock College, Brandeis UniversityFollow

Abstract

Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson's 1938 study of a Iatmul-speaking village in the middle Sepik River, Papua New Guinea, remains an anthropological efflorescence. At the very least, this collaboration resulted in a well-known fieldwork photo: Mead and Bateson in the famous "mosquito room." Ironically, little is actually known about the 1938 undertaking, which remains, however famous, sadly obscure. Towards correcting this misjudgment, I have two objectives. First, I want to provide a selective overview of the 1938 project, focusing on its unique outlook, tone, voices, morality, and theoretical perspectives. But my objective is not merely historical and descriptive. Hence, my second goal is polemical: to argue that Mead and Bateson's long-ago study, at once famous and obscure, is wholly relevant for contemporary anthropology.

Recommended Citation

Silverman, Eric Kline (2005) "MARGARET MEAD AND GREGORY BATESON IN THE SEPIK, 1938: A TIMELY POLEMIC FROM A LOST ANTHROPOLOGICAL EFFLORESCENCE," Pacific Studies Journal: Vol. 28: No. 2, Article 8.
Available at: https://digitalcollections.byuh.edu/pacific-studies-journal/vol28/iss2/8