Final answer:
Margaret Mead's fieldwork in Samoa was controversial for examining sexual freedom from a social standpoint, revealing that sexual behavior is shaped more by cultural factors than biological ones.
Step-by-step explanation:
Margaret Mead's fieldwork in Samoa, detailed in her 1928 book Coming of Age in Samoa, was groundbreaking for its exploration of sexual socialization and the cultural perceptions around sexual behavior. Mead observed that unlike in Euro-American culture, Samoan society was more open and relaxed about sexuality, with adolescence being seen not as a time of crisis, but as a period of freedom and exploration. This contrasted sharply with the more repressive and strict views towards sexual behavior in the United States during that era.
In her fieldwork, Mead discovered that social constructs, rather than biological determinism, primarily shaped gendered behaviors. Her later work, Sex and Temperament in Three Primitive Societies (1935), further explored this topic, revealing vastly different interpretations of gender among cultural groups in New Guinea. This paved the way for later sociological and anthropological studies of sexuality, showing the importance of sociocultural context in understanding sexual attitudes and practices.