A Response to Larry Mead.

The article focuses on the concept of "culture" as debated in anthropology and social theory, particularly in response to Lawrence Mead's use of the term. It traces the evolution of "culture" from Johann Gottfried Herder's 18th-century idea of distinct, holistic folk cultures to the 19th-century Anglophone view of a singular, progressive culture, and then to Franz Boas's pluralistic approach emphasizing incommensurable cultural differences. The author critiques Mead's argument that immigrants from non-Western backgrounds lack the individualistic agency central to American society, noting that cultural differences are complex, fluid, and cannot be reduced to a simple West-versus-non-West dichotomy. The article highlights the psychological and social power of cultural integration as an ideal, while acknowledging the challenges of assimilation and the diversity of immigrant experiences.