Rachelle Foster-Burns

1. Student: Rachelle Foster-Burns
Article:
Weber, D. (2004). Constructing U.S. American
Jewish Male Identity. In A. Gonzalez, V. Vhen, &
M. Huston (Eds.), Our voices: Essays in culture,
ethnicity, and communication (4th Ed.) (pp. 50-
55). Roxbury.

2.  The article titled, Constructing US American Jewish
Male Identity by David Weber is studying the
abnormal coexistence of identities. He does this to
explain the “marked discourse” that comes along
with abnormal coexisting identities.
 (see slide 6 for explanation of “marked discourse”)
 He also tells stories that are about his Jewish
experience trying to blend into the conventional US
American life with specific stories from age 8-48
years old. Many times he would have to explain to
his non-Jewish friends what certain Jewish
“holidays/terms” were.

3.  The process/method of information for this article’s
was partly by observations by Weber.
 He used both his past and present to compile some
of the information in his study.
 Also, in using the Critical Approach and the
qualitative method of
gathering information.
Weber used textual
analysis for the other
portion of his article.
Weber’s references

4.  D. Weber used Social Science Approach in that it
was a matter of what culture he was in as to
whether he had “marked” identities. For instance
he mentions living in Fairfax and Williamsburg, both
of which are Jewish communities, where he would
rarely need to “account for being ‘atypical’”(Weber,
51) because here it was typical.
 A main factor in the Social Science Approach is that
it assumes that, “culture is a variable.” (Martin &
Nakayama, 54
 Weber also used the Critical Approach in order to
compile qualitative information.

5.  David Weber’s article shows that when people are
faced with “atypical” identities there is use of
“marked” language.
 When there use of “unmarked” language, it is
confirming that this specific thing, event,
coexistence, etc. is typical.
 Weber points out that it does not necessarily mean
that a person using “marked labels” is prejudice
but possibly doing it to be thoughtful of the
coexisting identities.

6.  “Those identities form for me much of what Cupach
and Imahori would call my “total individual
identities” (1993,114)—my social and cultural
identities in the aggregate.” (Weber, 50)
 D. Weber is referring to the many cultures that he is
part of. He is white, male, heterosexual, middle-
aged, middle-class, anglophone and Jewish US
American. All of these things together are his “total
individual identities”.

7.  “To have both a Jewish identity and a US American
one, then, is to be the object of marked discourse.”
(Weber, 51)
 An example would be when someone is referred to
as US American it is implied that they are most
likely not Jewish, Muslim, etc. But when you have
an “abnormal” co-existence of identities then you
get the “marked discourse” of labels such as
“Jewish US American”.

8.  * Do you have any aspects of total identity that
occurs simultaneously with another identity such as
David Weber being a Jewish US American?
 * In knowing people that have coexisting identities
do you find yourself using “marked” terms when
describing something the are doing that is
“abnormal” for that identity?

9.  Weber, D. (2004). Constructing U.S. American Jewish
male Identity. In A. Gonzalez, V. Vhen, & M. Huston
(Eds.), Our voices: Essays in culture, ethnicity, and
communication (4th Ed.) (pp. 50-55). Roxbury.
 Cupach, W.R. and Imahori, T.T. (1993). Identity
management theory. In Wiseman, R and Koester,
J. (Eds), Intercultural communication
competence. (112-131). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
 Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2010). Intercultural
Communication in Contexts, (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill.