ERIC Number: EJ1196268
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 23
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1947-9417
EISSN: N/A
A Cross-Cultural Experience of Microaggression in Academia: A Personal Reflection
Simatele, Munacinga
Education as Change, v22 n3 Artcile 3132 2018
Microaggression is defined as subtle and often unconscious or automatic actions or statements made towards a discriminated group. It causes distress, anxiety and isolation. Microaggression can often lead to demoralisation and a feeling that one is in a constant psychological warfare. It is also ubiquitous in nature. This paper is a reflection on my experiences of microaggression as a black female academic gathered from working in six universities across five countries and two continents. I use autoethnography underscored by critical race theory thinking. The reflection has a multicultural face and is done in light of the extant literature on gendered, racial and non-native microaggression in the academic world. I find close similarities in my experiences with others. I conclude that microaggressions are ubiquitous and are inevitable in a multicultural setting. Victims need to acknowledge microaggressions and be assertive in order to mitigate the associated negative effects. Further, counterspaces provide a very useful platform for challenging the inaccuracy of victims' lived experiences and serve as a source of validation.
Descriptors: College Faculty, Aggression, Anxiety, Depression (Psychology), Victims, Social Discrimination, Cross Cultural Studies, Ethnography, Teacher Attitudes, Critical Theory, Race, Cultural Pluralism, Blacks, Foreign Nationals, Pronunciation, Foreign Countries, Professional Isolation, Institutional Characteristics, Student Characteristics
Education as Change. The Centre for Education Rights and Transformation, Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, PO Box 524, Auckland Park, Johannesburg 2000, South Africa. Tel: +27-11-5591148; e-mail: journal-ed@uj.ac.za; Web site: https://upjournals.co.za/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa; United Kingdom
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A