Duquesne University Duquesne Scholarship Collection Electronic Theses and Dissertations Spring 5-10-2019 Multifaith Families and their Narratives within Society Josh Friedberg Follow this and additional works at: https://dsc.duq.edu/etd Part of the International and Intercultural Communication Commons, and the Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons Recommended Citation Friedberg, J. (2019). Multifaith Families and their Narratives within Society (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/1762 This Immediate Access is brought to you for free and open access by Duquesne Scholarship Collection. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Duquesne Scholarship Collection. MULTIFAITH FAMILIES AND THEIR NARRATIVES WITHIN SOCIETY A Dissertation Submitted to the McAnulty School of Liberal Arts Duquesne University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy By Joshua Friedberg May 2019 Copyright by Joshua Friedberg 2019 MULTIFAITH FAMILIES AND THEIR NARRATIVES WITHIN SOCIETY By Joshua Friedberg Approved January 11th, 2019 ________________________________ ________________________________ Erik A. Garrett Janie Harden Fritz Associate Professor Professor Communication & Rhetorical Studies Communication & Rhetorical Studies (Committee Chair) (Committee Member) ________________________________ ________________________________ Craig T. Maier James Swindal Associate Professor Dean, McAnulty School of Liberal Arts Communication & Rhetorical Studies Professor of Philosophy (Committee Member) ________________________________ Ronald C. Arnett Chair, Department of Communication & Rhetorical Studies Professor of Communication iii ABSTRACT MULTIFAITH FAMILIES AND THEIR NARRATIVES WITHIN SOCIETY By Joshua Friedberg May 2019 Dissertation supervised by Erik A. Garrett The goal of this project is to nudge the conversation about interfaith families in a direction that examines the family post–interfaith dialogue. The term multifaith better represents this new aim because it encompasses all interactions and does not limit the family to the constraints of the moniker interfaith. I apply Walter Fisher’s concepts of coherence and fidelity, in coordination with family communication literature, to structure this project and to study the various aspects of a multifaith family and narrative. I also use three typologies of multifaith family (Passive/Passive, Passive/Active, and Active/Active) to better understand the variations of this family. The project includes a discussion of the multifaith family, the extended family, and the interaction with the faith community. Furthermore, I include examples of multifaith representation in popular culture because this illustrates the inclusion of this family type in media. The multifaith iv family is a distinct and growing type of family, and this project tries to better understand them and their narratives. v DEDICATION I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my family. To my parents, Jay and Denise Friedberg, your love and support has been invaluable to me all of my life, and without you, this project would not exist. To my late grandparents, George and Josephine Repasky and Marvin and Bertha Friedberg, I know you would be proud of me and, hopefully, you would have gotten a kick out of this project too. To my brother, Matt Friedberg, my sister-in-law, Marisa Friedberg, and my nephews, Andrew, Joey, and Nick, I would like to thank you for supporting me, distracting me, and making me laugh throughout this entire process. Finally, I would like to dedicate this to Jennifer Lawer, who has been by my side for this whole journey. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to acknowledge my dissertation committee for their help and guidance. To Erik Garrett, thank you for being patient with me and having confidence in my work, as well as for making me laugh on numerous occasions when we talked about all the little details of this project. To Janie Harden Fritz, thank you for your kind spirit, energy, and belief in me as person and a scholar. To Craig Maier, thank you for always getting my references to popular culture because they were my best examples for theories and concepts, and for taking the time to help and offer advice on my work. I would also like to acknowledge Rita McCaffrey. She always was willing to take the time to answer my questions, offer kind words of encouragement, and just have a conversation with me about my life. Finally, I would like to acknowledge David and Ann Wilkins. Their generosity, humor, and love for their students put me on this path all those years ago in Rome. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Abstract .............................................................................................................................. iv Dedication .......................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................1 Statement of Problem…………………...…………………………………..…3 Significance of Problem…………………………………...……………..……4 Methodology………….………………………………………….……………5 Preview of Chapters…………………………………………………...………6 Chapter 2: Narrative Coordinates………………..………………………………………10 Paul Ricoeur…………...……………………………………………………..11 Narrative Identity...........................................................................11 Time…………………………………………………………..….12 Emplotment……………………………..………………………..12 Mimesis…………………….…………………………………….13 Mimesis 1………………………………….……………….…….13 Mimesis 2…………………………..…………………………….14 Mimesis 3…..…………………………………………………….15 David Carr………………………..…………………………………………..15 Narrative Structure……………………………………………….15 Continuity Thesis vs. Discontinuity Thesis………...……………16 Walter Fisher…………………………………………………………………17 viii Narrative Paradigm………………………………………………18 Coherence………………………………………………………..19 Fidelity…………………………………………………………...23 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………....26 Chapter 3: Family and Interfaith Family Literature…………………………………..….27 Theoretical Approaches to Family Communication…...…………………….28 System Level…………………...………………………………...28 Systems Theory……………………….………………….28 Family Communication Patterns…………………………29 Critical Theory…………………………..……………….30 Dyadic Level………………………………...…………………...31 Social Exchange Theory…………………...………...…..31 Interdependence Theory………………………………….32 Equity Theory……………………………………………32 Investment Model………………………………………..33 Relational Communication………………………………33 Dialectical Theory………………………………………..34 Communication Privacy Management Theory………..…35 Individual Level……………………………………………….…35 Attribution Theory……………………………………….36 Attachment Theory……………………………..………..36 Narrative Theory…………………………………………37 Narrative Performance Theory…………………………..38 ix Narrative Research in Family Communication………………..……………..38 Sociohistorical Framework……………………………………....39 Theory and Method………………………………………………40 Functions of Narrative in Family………………………...………41 Communicated Narrative Sense-Making……...…………………42 Intergenerational Family Relationship Communication……………………..44 Communication in Interfaith Families……………………………………….48 Religious Community……………………………………………48 Interfaith Families………………………………………………..50 Family Communication in Television………………………………………..54 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………....58 Chapter 4: Multifaith Family……………………………………………...……………..59 Family Narrative and Identity Formation…………………….………………60 Relational Dialectics……………………………………………..60 Cognitive Dissonance……………………………………………63 Double Consciousness.…………………………………………..64 Bi/Multiracial Children….………………..……………………...65 Multifaith Family Typology ………………………...……..………………...69 Coherence……………………………………...……………………………..71 Parents……………………………………..……………………..71 Passive - Passive………………………………….……...73 Passive - Active…………………………………………..76 Classic Version of Passive - Active………….......77 x Reimagining of Passive - Active………………...78 Active - Active…………………………………………...79 Formation of a Multifaith Narrative……………..79 Explication of Active - Active…………………...81 Children………………………………………………………….84 Passive - Passive...……………………………………….87 Passive - Active………………………………………….88 Active - Active…………………………………………..88 Fidelity……………………………………………………………………….89 Parents…………………………………………………………...89 Passive - Passive...……………………………………….91 Passive - Active………………………………………….92 Active - Active…………………………………………..92 Children………………………………………………………….93 Passive - Passive...……………………………………….94 Passive - Active………………………………………….95 Active - Active……………………………………….…..95 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………....95 Chapter 5: Multifaith Extended Family.……………..…………………………………..97 Grandparents……………………………………...……………………….....97 Coherence………………………………………………………..98 Grandparents as Historian……………………………….98 Grandparents Supporting Multifaith Narratives…..……102 xi Passive - Passive...……………………………………...104 Passive - Active………….……………………………...105 Active - Active…….……………………………………106 Fidelity………….………………………………………………106 Comparing Against Faith……………………………….107 Accept or Reject the Multifaith Narrative……..……….108 Passive - Passive...……………………………………...109 Passive - Active…………………………………………110 Active - Active………………………………………….113 Aunts and Uncles……………………………………………..…………….115 Coherence………………………………………………………115 Passive - Passive...……………………………………...117 Passive - Active…………………………………………117 Active - Active………………………………………….118 Fidelity………………………..………………………………...118