"Occasionally, a book comes along that towers above others. The World
Ahead is such a book. . .. Textor shows how Mead was a generation ahead
of almost all her contemporaries in understanding the importance of
studying the sociocultural future of learning what is possible,
probable, and preferable in order to know how life could and should be
made better. . .." - Wendell Bell, Yale University "As protégé and
friend of Margaret Mead for the last thirty years of her illustrious
life, I welcome Textor's showcase of her various views of the future.
Mead was at her best in planning for future generations." - Wilton S.
Dillon, Senior Scholar Emeritus, Smithsonian Institute "[Mead] sought
to clarify images of the future as they were current and to articulate
images that would be preferable. . .. Textor's commentaries connect
these papers and articles in a way that establishes 'the future' as a
proper central focus in anthropology. . .." - Reed D. Riner, Northern
Arizona University "A valuable contribution that shows Mead's broad
range of future-oriented interests." - Future Survey 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.
