Bathing Babies in Three Cultures

Bathing Babies in Three Cultures

1954 · 10 min · Documentary

This short ethnographic film presents a comparative study of infant bathing practices in three cultural settings: Bali, Iatmul communities along the Sepik River in New Guinea, and the United States. Through observational sequences, the film documents differing methods of mother–child interaction, caregiving routines, and degrees of maternal protection, situating everyday domestic practices within broader patterns of cultural socialization.

Directed by Margaret Mead

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Bathing Babies in Three Cultures

She's Beautiful When She's Angry

A close match in mood and era.

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Trance and Dance in Bali

Trance and Dance in Bali · 1952

Trance and Dance in Bali

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Filmed in Bali in 1937 and released in 1952, this short documentary records a staged performance of the Kris Dance, documenting trance, ritual possession, and ceremonial movement within Balinese religious practice.

Giving Birth

Giving Birth · 1976

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This documentary examines childbirth practices in the United States through four couples experiencing pregnancy and delivery. Each case presents a different approach to birth, ranging from high-technology hospital procedures to alternative methods such as Leboyer and midwife-assisted childbirth.

Childhood Rivalry in Bali and New Guinea

Childhood Rivalry in Bali and New Guinea · 1952

Childhood Rivalry in Bali and New Guinea

This short ethnographic film presents comparative scenes of children of the same age in Bali and New Guinea responding to maternal attention given to another child. Produced as part of Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead’s Character Formation in Different Cultures series, the film documents culturally distinct approaches to sibling rivalry through observational sequences involving infant care, ritual ear-piercing, and experimental interaction with a doll.

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A documentary that resurrects the buried history of the outrageous, often brilliant women who founded the modern women's movement from 1966 to 1971.

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