Return from the Natives: How Margaret Mead Won the Second World War and Lost the Cold War

Margaret Mead became the best known anthropologist in the United States after the publication of her books Coming of Age in Samoa (1928) and Growing Up in New Guinea (1930). Mandler (modern British history, Univ. of Cambridge) presents a detailed study of Mead's work and the development and application of her anthropological philosophy, focusing on the time between 1939 and 1953—the years between Mead's two periods of fieldwork in New Guinea. During this time, Mead, along with other prominent anthropologists, worked with various government and public-policy agencies in the creation of "national character" studies of some of the major countries involved in World War II and, later, those involved in the Cold War. The author thoroughly describes Mead's attempts to apply her anthropological theories to problems in international relations. He also covers her efforts to involve the discipline of anthropology more fully in both American and world politics and policy making. The results are balanced, fascinating, and extremely detailed. Mandler largely proceeds in chronological order, offering many biographical details as he explores the complex professional relationships among prominent anthropologists and the impact of their popular theories at the time.