Born in the first year of the 20th century, it is fitting that Margaret
Mead should have been one of the first anthropologists to use
anthropological analysis to study the future course of human
civilization. This volume collects, for the first time, her writings on
the future of humanity and how humans can shape that future through
purposeful action. For Mead, the study of the future was born out of her
lifelong interest in processes of change. Many of these papers were
originally published as conference proceedings or in limited-circulation
journals, testimony before government bodies and chapters in works
edited by others. They show Mead's wisdom, prescience and concern for
the future of humanity.