Our Voices: Essays in Culture, Ethnicity, and Communication

by Gonzalez, Alberto; Houston, Marsha; Chen, Victoria

• ISBN13: 9780935732733
• ISBN10: 093573273X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-06-01
• Publisher: Oxford Univ Pr

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	viii	(1)
Foreword	ix	(1)
Molefi Kete Asante
Introduction	x
Alberto Gonzalez
Marsha Houston
Victoria Chen
Part I: Naming Ourselves	3	(32)
1. (De)hyphenated Identity: The Double Voice in The Woman Warrior The double voice in Kingston's The Woman Warrior is explored in the context of Chinese American women's hyphenated identity	3	(11)
Victoria Chen, Denison University
2. Dis/orienting Identities: Asian Americans, History, and Intercultural Communication Nakayama argues for the centrality of the Japanese American experience in the making of American culture and history	14	(7)
Thomas Nakayama, Arizona State University
3. How I Came to Know `In Self Realization There Is Truth' Ribeau examines the importance of the articulation of the African American experience	21	(7)
Sidney A. Ribeau, Bowling Green State University
4. Names, Narratives, and the Evolution of Ethnic Identity Tanno describes how each ethnic self-reference communicates a story and how multiple stories provide significance to an American identity	28	(7)
Dolores V. Tanno, California State University, San Bernardino
Part II: Negotiating Sexuality and Gender	35	(35)
5. Jewish and/or Woman: Identity and Communicative Style Bowen explores the particular intersection of her Jewish upbringing and the feminism she adopted as an adult.	35	(6)
Sheryl Perlmutter Bowen, Villanova University
6. Remembering Selena The "borderland" metaphor is used to explore the discourses surrounding the late tejana singer.	41	(5)
Alberto Gonzalez
Jennifer L. Willis, Bowling Green State University
7. When Miss America Was Always White James reflects on the meaning of blackness and black womanhood through family stories and personal experiences.	46	(6)
Navita Cummings James, University of South Florida
8. Illusive Reflections: African American Women on Primetime Television Images of African American women on primetime television are critically examined.	52	(9)
Bishetta D. Merritt, Howard University
9. Black Queer Identity, Imaginative Rationality, and the Language of Home The meaning of home and community for African American gay men is explored through poetry and song lyrics as well as feminist and gay/lesbian theory.	61	(9)
Charles I. Nero, Bates College
Part III: Representing Cultural Knowledge in Interpersonal and Mass Media Contexts	70	(51)
10. The Rhetoric of La Familia Among Mexican Americans Gangotena uses the concept of la familia to explore Mexican American family communication.	70	(14)
Margarita Gangotena, Texas A & M University
11. When Mississippi Chinese Talk Gong describes speech strategies used by Chinese from the Mississippi Delta.	84	(10)
Gwendolyn Gong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
12. Understanding Traditional African American Preaching Hamlet explores how the rhetorical style of preachers in traditional black church preserves the cultural identity of black communities.	94	(5)
Janice D. Hamlet, Shippensburg University
13. The Power of Wastah in Lebanese Speech Hashem examines wastah as an effective method of mediating Lebanese conflicts and relationships	99	(6)
Mahboub Hashem, Fort Hays State University
14. Mexican American Cultural Experiences With Mass-Mediated Communication Rios discusses the dual functions of mass media in Mexican American communities in Texas.	105	(8)
Diana I. Rios, University of New Mexico
15. Native American Culture and Communication Through Humor Shutiva challenges some of the stereotypes about Native Americans and discusses the role that humor plays in their culture.	113	(8)
Charmaine Shutiva, Isleta Elementary School, Isleta Pueblo
Part IV: Celebrating Cultures	121	(22)
16. Capturing the Spirit of Kwanzaa Bowers describes the African American celebration Kwanzaa as a ritual that invites a spiritual connection to African heritage.	121	(4)
Detine L. Bowers, Harmony Blessings, Inc.
17. Communicating Good Luck During the Chinese New Year Fong discusses good luck expressed through speech and gift-giving practices that display good will and affection.	125	(4)
Mary Fong, California State University, San Bernardino
18. Hybrid Revivals: Defining Asian Indian Ethnicity Through Celebration Hegde describes how Hindu festivals inspire their participants, despite outside efforts to limit "foreign" cultural gatherings.	129	(7)
Radha S. Hegde, Rutgers University
19. A House as Symbol, A House as Family: Mamaw and Her Oklahoma Cherokee Family Shaver reflects on a Cherokee matriarch who insured family unity by providing a home for family reunions and remembrance.	136	(7)
Lynda Dixon Shaver, Bowling Green State University
Part V: Living in Bicultural Relationships	143	(34)
20. Sapphire and Sappho: Allies in Authenticity Allen describes her interracial friendship with a lesbian woman and how the two overcame sanctions against such a relationship.	143	(6)
Brenda J. Allen, University of Colorado, Boulder
21. `I Know It Was the Blood': Defining the Biracial Self in a Euro-American Society In exploring the biracial identities of her students, Harris comes to appreciate her own biracial heritage.	149	(8)
Tina M. Harris, Bowling Green State University
22. Being Hapa: A Choice for Cultural Empowerment Kimoto reflects on her Japanese Mexican heritage and the role of culture in raising her child.	157	(6)
Diane M. Kimoto, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
23. Living In/Between Morris describes a life caught between two discourses, one that valorizes a Mescalero worldview and another that negates it.	163	(14)
Richard Morris, Northern Illinois University
Part VI: Traversing Cultural Paths	177	(36)
24. How We Know What We Know About Americans: Chinese Sojourners Account for Their Experiences Chen uses conversational episodes to examine assumptions and misunderstandings between Chinese and Americans in the United States.	177	(10)
Ling Chen, University of Oklahoma
25. When Black Women Talk With White Women: Why Dialogues Are Difficult Houston explores ways to build satisfying conversations between black and white women.	187	(8)
Marsha Houston, Tulane University
26. The Cultural Experience of Space and Body: A Reading of Latin American and Anglo American Comportment in Public Lozano discusses assumptions about "public space" in Anglo American and Latin American cultures.	195	(8)
Elizabeth Lozano, Loyola University of Chicago
27. Regionalism and Communication: Exploring Chinese Immigrant Perspectives Lum discusses regional differences among Chinese communities in New York City and how ethnic identity is maintained.	203	(10)
Casey Man Kong Lum, Adelphi University
Appendices
Suggested Questions for Discussion	213	(2)
Supplementary Readings	215	(5)
About the Contributors	220