Editing Margaret Mead (section)

== Legacy ==

Margaret Mead died on November 15, 1978, her public prominence having made her anthropology's most famous practitioner. The controversies surrounding her work, particularly the Samoa research, continue generating scholarly debate that demonstrates her significance even when challenging her conclusions. Her Philadelphia origins, her academic family background, and the intellectual formation these provided established the foundation for achievements that extended anthropological thinking beyond academic boundaries. Mead represents what Philadelphia intellectual culture could produce when channeled toward understanding human diversity across cultures.<ref name="howard"/>