Margaret Mead collaborated with her long-time colleague Rhoda Métraux in
this unique study of French culture. The Hoover Institute at Stanford
University originally published this volume, which grew out of the
Columbia University project on Research of Contemporary Cultures in
1954. It is one of the few works by American social scientists dealing
with broad themes of French life.
Mead and Métraux present a vivid picture of the French starting with the
organization of the house and its architecture, and drawing original
conclusions for the structure of French families and overall cultural
values. This work, long out of print, is a fascinating and penetrating
portrait of a contemporary European society.