Coming of Age in Samoa - Full Blog

Reference:
Coming of Age in Samoa
Margaret Mead
1928 Harper Perennial

Summary:
In the late 1920s, Margaret Mead wanted to study how societies affect individuals.  She was unable to determine a way to study Western society in a controlled environment, so she decided to examine Samoa, a place where Western influence had little root.  She found that children in Samoa are typically left to their own devices, with the older children looking out for the younger ones.  An individual gains more power as they age, though they must conform to family and traditional obligations.  As they age, the children participate in their specific age groups, splintering off into subgroups.

There are different expectations for boys and girls in Samoa.  The boys are organized into a working group where they learn both how to accomplish the hardest work in the villiage and the rituals and customs they must know as adults.  Girls typically are expected to do chores and learn how to accomplish things around the house.  Regardless of gender, Samoan children must learn how to dance.  They learn dancing early in life, and this is one of the few times where they can express their individuality.

Samoans respect the privacy of their peers, and won't pry if someones attitude suddenly changes.  If an individual becomes excessively extreme in their emotions, however,  they will be outside the social norm.  Indeed, Samoan society has little tolerance for drawn out conflict or social deviancy.  Their delinquents are combative, dishonest, or violent.  As the children enter their adulthood, they must conform to the expectations of their village if they are to function properly within it.  There are situations when someone moves to a different village, and they often have difficulty fully adjusting to their new settings.

Discussion:
I'm a history buff, so I enjoyed learning some of the historical aspects of Samoan society.  I found the differences between Western and Samoan societies interesting, and I noted the similarities and parallels between Samoan society and other various cultures. Perhaps the most striking detail was that the homogeneous Samoan society led to little to no tolerance for non-conformity.  This is hugely different from Western society, where we have access to knowledge and ideas from around the world.  It was valuable learning the techniques and methods that Mead used to conduct her ethnography, and I certainly will be able to apply the gleaned knowledge to future projects.