In the 1920’s, it was widely taken for granted that Western civilization was the pinnacle of human achievement, and that all other cultures were “simpler” and more “primitive.”
A 23-year-old graduate student named Margaret Mead single-handedly upended Western civilization’s self-image through her research of adolescence in Samoa. It turns out that the West is not so advanced that it has nothing to learn, nor the Samoans so “primitive” that they have nothing to teach.
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Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening Theme
“Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo’ Bye!)”
Composed in 1922 by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman, and Danny Russo. Public domain.
Closing Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.