Analysis Of Sex And Temperament In Three Primitive Society

Moreover, Mead did not mention in her research Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies, how much time she had spent observing each tribe (Thurnwald 1936), which leaves the readers guessing the research’s credibility. As an anthropologist, it is one’s duty to provide data based on one’s time of study, methodology, and qualitative context regarding one’s fieldwork. On the other hand, I became well-informed by Mead demonstrating that: the absence of innate temperamental differences between the sexes, and to prove that these are ‘socially produced’ […] and ‘do not occur in societies which disregard them,’ such as the societies described in the book. [Mead] concludes by demanding of our society that ‘no child should relentlessly be shaped …show more content…
Mead also made a credible point that as an anthropologist, one should not edit or alter the material of one’s work. Instead, anthropologist should their subjects equal access to the material in order for them to be involved in the process. Therefore, it is ethical for anthropologist to ask its subjects for informal consent and interact with them in order to develop a better understanding of one’s culture. According to Dr. Mead, “I think it’s very important, if you’re going to be scientific about behavior, to give other people access to the material” (Brand 1976, 19). That is, in anthropology films are used as a visual device in order to communicate cultural ideas and perceptions. Due to the fact that producers and individuals in the filmmaking industry are forced to create what the majority wants to see it is one’s as an anthropologist to be truthful and ethical. According to Ruby, “the ethics and politics of ethnographic film have been a topic of considerable debate for the past several decades […due to the fact that viewers] began to question the neutrality of science and the objectivity of photographic images” (Ruby 2000, 137). Considering this, as an anthropologist, it is significantly important to be ethical and produce a visual ethnography that is considered virtuous, since they are expected to be teaching devices for their viewers, which are college students, prospective anthropologists, and scholars. On the other hand, Mead believes that “if tape recorder, camera, or video is set up and left in the same place, large batches of material can be collected without the intervention of the filmmaker or ethnographer and without the continuous self-consciousness of those who are being observed” (Ruby 2000, 177). This theory proves that “camera observations offer accuracy of identification and objective detail upon which to base judgements” (Ruby 2000, 177). Hence, in anthropology developing linguistics, narration, and communication with the study of