The first cultural anthropologist I remember reading was Margaret Mead (1901-1978), whose 1928 book "Coming of Age in Samoa" was said to have influenced the so-called "sexual revolution" in the 1960s.

    In the foreword to this ground-shaking book, Mead's academic adviser Franz Boas wrote, "Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal, but what constitutes courtesy, modesty, very good manners, and definite ethical standards is not universal. It is instructive to know that standards differ in the most unexpected ways."

    This is a good summary of the idea known as "cultural relativism," which Boas himself promoted. It means that a person's actions and beliefs should be judged in terms of the culture in which he or she lives.

    Thus, Mead's "shocking" revelations of the behavior of the Samoans should not be judged by the standards of Mead's culture or any other. The widespread practice of non-monogamous sexual relationships in Samoan culture, for example, should not be judged by the Western (Biblical) standard of "Thou shalt not commit adultery."

    It should be noted that five years after her death, anthropologist Derek Freeman heavily criticized Mead's work, claiming that her work was not founded on fact and her Samoan subjects had perpetrated a hoax. Freeman's work, in turn, has been widely refuted.

    Mead was born in Pennsylvania, United States, the child of two academics -- a professor of finance and a sociologist. She received her PhD in anthropology from Columbia University based on her research in Samoa. She married and divorced three times. Her third husband was Gregory Bateson, a well-known British anthropologist. Their daughter, Mary Catherine Bateson, is also an anthropologist.

    In later life, Mead worked as a museum curator and a university professor. She died of cancer at 76. Her legacy included this famous quotation: "Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

    Vocabulary: Which word above means:

    1. not limited to a single partner

    2. one who oversees a museum collection

    3. following society's standards

    4. like an introduction

    5. one who studies culture

    6. having sex outside of marriage

    7. large, sudden change in standards regarding sex

    8. people who work in universities, etc.

    9. things that have been uncovered

    10. played a trick

    ANSWERS: 1. non-monogamous 2. curator 3. conformity 4. foreword 5. cultural anthropologist 6. adultery 7. sexual revolution 8. academics 9. revelations 10. perpetrated a hoax