Abstract
This article updates a series of critical analyses of Derek Freeman's claim that Margaret Mead was hoaxed during the field research that constituted the basis of her book Coming of Age in Samoa. In particular, Freeman claims that this hoaxing caused Mead to falsely portray Samoa as a free-love society. Based on Mead's written correspondence, progress reports, and the contents of her book, it is concluded that no hoaxing of any significance could plausibly constitute the basis of her book. Moreover, while Mead may have made some misleading statements about the extent of sexual freedom among her informants, she did not portray a free-love society in her book. Instead, some of the misleading statements can be traced to the encouragement of her publisher to “make a show for the public.”
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Côté, J.E. The Implausibility of Freeman's Hoaxing Theory: An Update. Journal of Youth and Adolescence 29, 575–585 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005170330463
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005170330463