Mary Catherine Bateson

Click here to begin listening.  Radio Curious revisits a conversation with Mary Catherine Bateson, author of ““Full Circles: Overlapping Lives, Culture and Generation in Transition.Do we really know the people around us? Our children? Our family? Our friends? Or are we strangers in our own community? Mary Catherine Bateson, the author of a book entitled, […]

Mary Catherine Bateson, Ph.D. is the daughter of Margaret Meade and Gregory Bateson and is a cultural anthropologist. She served as the Clarence J. Robinson’s Professor in Anthropology and English at George Mason University from 1987 to 2002, when she became Professor Emerita. She is a Visiting Scholar at the Center of Aging and Workplace Flexibility at Boston College, and, until recently, was President of the Institute of Intercultural Studies in New York City.  She is the author of many books and papers, including Composing a Life (Grove Press 2001), With a Daughter’s Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson (Harper Perennial 1994), Willing to Learn: Passages of Personal Discovery (Steerforth 2010) and Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom (Knopf 2010).Tags: Mary Catherine Bateson, Ph.D., longevity, Adulthood II, beyond reproductive years, elderhood, mentoring, play, golf, long life, Social Change/Politics, Arts & Creativity, Personal Transformation, Philosophy

People are living longer but this new longevity is not equivalent to an extension of old age or years added on at the end of life. Bateson describes a whole new stage of aging: Adulthood II. It is a time endowed with wisdom, health, and energy. It is a time to become the needed visionaries society is calling for.  She is the author of many books and papers, including Composing a Life (Grove Press 2001), With a Daughter’s Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson (Harper Perennial 1994), Willing to Learn: Passages of Personal Discovery (Steerforth 2010). Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom (Knopf 2010)Tags: Mary Catherine Bateson, Aging, Adulthood II, ageism, friendship, post-reproductive women, intergenerational relationships, longevity, Social Change/Politics, Community, Family/Community, Philosophy

People are living longer but this new longevity is not equivalent to an extension of old age or years added on at the end of life. Bateson describes a whole new stage of aging: Adulthood II. It is a time endowed with wisdom, health, and energy. It is a time to become the needed visionaries society is calling for. She’s the author of Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom.Tags: Mary Catherine Bateson, Aging, Adulthood II, ageism, friendship, post-reproductive women, intergenerational relationships, longevity, Social Change, Politics, Community, Family, Philosophy

MARY CATHERINE BATESON is a writer and cultural anthropologist. In 2004 she retired from her position as Clarence J. Robinson Professor in Anthropology and English at George Mason University, and is now Professor Emerita. The Conversation: https://www.edge.org/conversation/mary_catherine_bateson-how-to-be-a-systems-thinker

Life as an improvisational art, at every age. This idea animates the wise linguist and anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson, whose book “Composing a Life” has touched many. Since her childhood as the daughter of the iconic anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, she’s had an ability to move through the world as both an original observer and a joyful participant. Now in her 70s, she’s pondering — and living — what she calls the age of “active wisdom.” She sees longer life spans creating a new developmental stage for our species. This interview is edited and produced with music and other features in the On Being episode “Mary Catherine Bateson — Composing A Life.” Find more at onbeing.org.

Life as an improvisational art, at every age. This idea animates the wise linguist and anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson, whose book “Composing a Life” has touched many. Since her childhood as the daughter of the iconic anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, she’s had an ability to move through the world as both an original observer and a joyful participant. Now in her 70s, she’s pondering — and living — what she calls the age of “active wisdom.” She sees longer life spans creating a new developmental stage for our species.

Join cultural anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson to explore her new book, "Composing a Further Life: The Age of Active Wisdom." We'll also talk about creativity and learning, which are frequent themes throughout her work. She's also the author of "Composing a Life," "Our Own Metaphor," and "Peripheral Visions," as well as a memoir, "With a Daughter's Eye: A Memoir of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson."