Me :): Leadership Profile Assignment: Margaret Mead

Every one of us has someone that we aspire to; someone that we consider to be strong, intelligent, or talented in the areas of our own interests or life goals. For me, this person is Margaret Mead, a well-known scholar and author in the world of anthropology. She was born into a very educated family and had somewhat of an advancement in her profession, as her father was a professor and her mother a sociologist who studied Italian immigrants. During and after earning her Ph.D. from Columbia University, Mead went on to become a prestigious cultural anthropologist who spent many of her years immersing herself in primitive cultures around the world, living with, observing, and learning from various tribe members.

Mead constantly challenged herself by stepping out of her comfort zone and unselfishly bridging gaps between cultures to resolve misconceptions and existing prejudices. She had a heavy influence on the United Nations, the Episcopal Church, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science for which she was elected to head in 1974. Later in life, she was also appointed Curator of Ethnology at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. Mead continued her association with this museum for the rest of her life.

Mead was a leader in the field of cultural anthropology, as well as in gender studies and for women as a whole, as she created space for women in the field and challenged the sexual norms in American society by presenting alternative attitudes towards life and sexuality. She has had over 25 books and scholarly works published, mostly anthropological accounts of behaviors surrounding the coming of age and child rearing. She led by example and stood strong against the path of least resistance. She followed her heart and used her keen sense of observation and empathy to brilliantly assess other cultures, learned their language in weeks and quickly integrated herself into the society.

According to CREA’s own definition of leadership, “leadership is a dynamic quality that…enables people to live their lives as they choose, with dignity and with sensitivity to other people’s choices and decisions. Leadership… is a process through which [people] assert their rights by continually evaluatioing relevant experiences, questioning their roles in society, challenging power structures and effectively catalyzing social change.”

Through this lens, it is clearly apparent how Margaret Mead fits the mold as a great feminist leader. Her sexual and gender studies in other parts of the world challenged society’s norms and views of sexuality, as she asked questions concerning nature vs nurture, binary gender categories, and difficulties for young girls coming of age. As she was heavily involved in the church, this was also another taboo. She lived her life as she chose, with sensitivity to others’ choices by evaluating her own relevant experiences inside other cultures, where norms and behaviors were unknown to her before. She advocated for change and challenged power structures within the UN and the American Anthropological Association (as she was president of this in 1960). She later became a mentor to other young anthropologists and yet again challenged the norm by having a romantic relationship with another woman. Mead was even awarded posthumously, by Jimmy Carter in 1979, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It read:

"Margaret Mead was both a student of civilization and an exemplar of it. To a public of millions, she brought the central insight of cultural anthropology: that varying cultural patterns express an underlying human unity. She mastered her discipline, but she also transcended it. Intrepid, independent, plain spoken, fearless, she remains a model for the young and a teacher from whom all may learn."

Some of Mead’s most famous works include Coming of Age in Samoa, where she compares the transition of puberty for boys and girls in Samoa to that of the stressful transition of adolescents in America. Another of her works is Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, which became a major cornerstone for the feminist movement. More archival footage of Mead can be found within the American Museum of Natural History.

Given the fact that I love cultural anthropology, feminist and gender studies, traveling, advocating for equality and writing, this woman fits right into my idea of what makes a great leader for social transformation. I share the same aspirations and always-present curiosity to explore other cultures, challenge myself, and help others. Mead fits the many definitions of feminist leadership by integrating her nurturing character into her line of work to explore and describe interesting and intellectual anthropological accounts and using group efforts to influence society’s creative and out-of-the-box realm of thinking. She dedicated her life to understand and communicate with various “primitive” cultures and explain these differences and equally credible ways of life to other Americans. Her work paved a path for future cultural anthropologists and scholars and set an example for women everywhere. She was truly a leader and remained involved throughout her whole life, which holds major significance for many feminists, such as Paula Allen, who defines leadership as “the desire, ability and efforts to influence the world around us, based upon an ethnic of care for self and others and fueled by a vision that one sustains over time”.

I share the same desires and goals as Mead, as I yearn to make a difference in the world and to explore other cultures in order to alleviate any existing prejudices through enlightenment and personal experiences. I want to maintain an open mind and keep a clear head to make these use these experiences to better community ties. To conclude with one of Margaret Mead’s famous quotes:

"Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."