Christina D. Weber

Professor and Chair

Faculty

Sociology and Anthropology

Portrait of Christina Weber

Dr. Christina Weber’s research explores the intersections of historical memory, trauma, ethnography, and storytelling. Her scholarship examines how individuals and families experience, remember, and narrate traumatic events, with a particular focus on the intergenerational effects of war. These interests are central to her book, Social Memory and War Narratives: Transmitted Trauma among Children of Vietnam Veterans, published by Palgrave Macmillan, which explores how the legacies of war are transmitted across generations and shape family and collective memory.

Dr. Weber’s commitment to interdisciplinary research and public storytelling led to a 2016 National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Humanities in the Public Square grant, which supported the development of Project Unpack. This multifaceted project examined the impact of war on individuals, families, and communities, bringing private and often untold experiences into public view. While the legacies of war are frequently commemorated through public memorials and museum exhibits, the personal histories of veterans and their families often remain unshared. Project Unpack sought to preserve and amplify these stories through a multimedia exhibit featuring oral histories, provocative masks, and performance art. By bringing together diverse forms of storytelling, the project highlighted the complex and deeply personal ways people make sense of war and its enduring consequences.

Extending her interest in memory, trauma, and visual representation, Dr. Weber also examines how photography and visual ethnography have shaped historical understandings of the Great Depression. Her research on women’s experiences during the Dust Bowl builds on this work, exploring how personal narratives and visual records contribute to the preservation and interpretation of historical experience. Across these projects, she investigates how stories shape collective memory and how the effects of trauma endure across generations.

In addition to her historical and theoretical scholarship, Dr. Weber engages in applied, interdisciplinary research, collaborating with faculty in Pharmacy and mentoring students in qualitative research. Drawing on her expertise in qualitative methods, she brings sociological perspectives to practical research questions, fostering collaborations that connect social inquiry with real-world challenges.

Courses Taught

  • Cultural Diversity (SOC 235)
  • Social Inequality (SOC 410)
  • Sociology of Gender (SOC 412/612)
  • Feminist Theory and Discourse (SOC 424/624)
  • Social Theory (SOC 723)

Awards & Honors

  • Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Outstanding Service Award, 2015.
  • Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, 2012.
  • Odney Award, North Dakota State University, 2009.
  • Apple Polisher Award, North Dakota State University, 2009.
  • Tapestry of Diverse Talents, North Dakota State University, 2008.

Publications

Refereed Journal Publications

  • (2026) “'It’s a Tool in the Toolbox': Perceptions of Public Health Employees to an Opioid Harm Reduction Approach in a Rural State." Christina D. Weber et.al. Journal of Ethnographic & Qualitative Research 2026, Vol. 18, 243- 259.
  • (2026) “Behind the Skills Lab: A Qualitative Study of Skills Lab Faculty Workload.” Lauren M. Caldas, Christina D. Weber, et.al. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education. Vol. 90, Issue 9.
  • (2024) “Atlas Markers: An Emerging Autoethnography.” The Autoethnographer, 4(2).
  • (2019) “Dust Covered Privilege: White Women’s Experiences of the Dust Bowl.” Humanity & Society
  • (2019) “Explicating Anomie in Refugee Women’s Integration Narratives: A Qualitative Research Study.” International Journal of Intercultural Relations [with Jonix Owino]
  • (2019) “Reaching for Low Hanging Fruit: Engaging with Disjunctures in the Process of Institutional Change.” Cultural Studies<->Critical Methodologies.
  • (2018) "’Unpacking’ Cross-Disciplinary Research Collaboration in the Social Sciences and Humanities." Qualitative Inquiry. [with Alison Graham-Bertolini and Michael Strand]
  • (2015) “Being Brave: Negotiating Agency and Disengagement in the Work of Institutional Change.” International Review of Qualitative Research, 8(2), 194-211.
  • (2012) “Putting the Family into the Military Mission: A Feminist Exploration of a National Guard Family Program.” Cultural Studies-Critical Methodologies, 12(5), 438-449.
  • (2010). “Literary Fiction as a Tool for Teaching Social Theory and Critical Consciousness.” Teaching Sociology, 38(4), 350-61.
  • (2010). “‘Awkward Anxiety’: Ambivalent Expressions of Masculine Subjectivity.” Cultural Studies-Critical Methodologies, 10(4), 337-346.

Refereed Book

  • (2015) Social Memory and War Narratives. New York: Palgrave.