Derek Freeman (1) (1916–2001)
Author of Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth
For other authors named Derek Freeman, see the disambiguation page.
About the Author
Derek Freeman, 1917 - 2001 Derek Freeman was born in 1917 in New Zealand, and from a very young age was interested in anthropology, tantalized by Margaret Mead's sojurns to Samoa. In 1940, Freeman traveled to Samoa and lived among the natives for three years where he taught and studied the culture. show more It was during this first trip, that Freeman began to doubt whether Mead's original research was in fact accurate. The Samoans he encountered did not resemble at all the culture that she had described. He continued his education with two years of graduate study on Samoa at London University, and then spending three years among the Iban of Borneo. He then spent two years at Cambridge University, earning his doctorate degree form there in 1953. In 1954, Freeman accepted a position as a senior lecturer in anthropology at the Australian National University, progressing to emeritus professor, where he continued to wonder at how Mead had reached her conclusions on the Samoans. He spent almost 40 years researching Asian and Pacific people, spending six years in Samoa and compiling a document stating the exact opposite of Margaret Mead's findings. He presented his document, "The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth," in 1983, five years after Mead's death, and was met with instant outrage and denial. Freeman stated that Mead's finding were inadequate from lack of preparation and a poor command of the Samoan language. This stand defied the school of American anthropological thought and met staunch disapproval there. Incidentally, Freeman did try to publish his dissertation while Mead was still alive but was rejected. Eventually, Freeman's ideas have come to be accepted and helped to modernize anthropology. Derek Freeman died on July 6, 2001 at the age of 84 from congestive heart failure. show less
Works by Derek Freeman
Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth (1983) — Author — 157 copies, 4 reviews
The Fateful Hoaxing of Margaret Mead : A Historical Analysis of Her Samoan Research (1998) 61 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Freeman, John Derek
- Birthdate
- 1916-08-15
- Date of death
- 2001-07-06
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Victoria University College (Psychology, Philosophy, Education)
London School of Economics and Political Science
University of Cambridge, King's College (PhD) - Occupations
- university professor
anthropologist - Organizations
- Australian National University
- Nationality
- New Zealand
- Associated Place (for map)
- New Zealand
Members
Reviews
Samoa wasn't paradise after all and Freeman asserts Mead set out to prove a point, rather than open inquiry about the malleability of human nature
Comprehensively debunks the Mead myth of Samoa. Incidentally shows the Social Sciences struggling as a science due to the inherent with a lack of "repeatable experiments" available to the hard sciences.
Read in Samoa July 2003
Read in Samoa July 2003
Extraordinary and well-researched story of how Margaret Meade faked her breakthrough "research" and the resulting book that made her famous.
Margaret Mead and Samoa: The Making and Unmaking of an Anthropological Myth (Pelican) by Derek Freeman
Everyone loves storm in the tea cup. Come visit Samoa and know for yourself. If Derek Freeman says Margaret Mead was wrong, go there and experience for yourself. Mead tried to research in the previous century. Try it now and have better informants. You yourself can go. find out the status of social behaviour of young teen agers. Run your own survey. The readers of Margaret Mead are rare. Derek Freeman is being taught. The national hospital could be your best place to know how many teen agres show more are mothers and what is the per cent. What is the concept of a young person about virginity, purity and illigitimacy of a child. Christianity is rampant so- Try to visit pastor's family and run your own research if they still have such babies before marriage and whether the mother has any stress due to such achievement. Are the women having one partner for life time ? Researchers are welcome. Samoa's best attraction is tourist industry.....you will find children with chinese, other asian blood, english, german and all the mix of Pacifc and what not combination. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 6
- Members
- 234
- Popularity
- #96,590
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 4
- ISBNs
- 22
- Languages
- 3