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From Margaret Mead's Field Notes: What Counted as “Sex” in Samoa?
Author(s) -
Grant Nicole J.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
american anthropologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.51
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1548-1433
pISSN - 0002-7294
DOI - 10.1525/aa.1995.97.4.02a00100
Subject(s) - virginity test , cult , american samoa , criticism , sociology , gender studies , demography , history , genealogy , law , ancient history , political science
Derek Freeman based his criticism of Margaret Mead's claim of sexual freedom for adolescent girls in Samoa on two premises. The first—that there was a “cult of virginity”—has been disproved by scholars. The second—that the low incidence of premarital pregnancy precluded sexual freedom—has not been adequately addressed. Sexual freedom and a low incidence of pregnancy were not mutually exclusive. The key lies in consideration of what counted as sex in Samoa at the time.