ABSTRACT

Cultural critics like former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg dismiss the concept with quips like: “a microaggression is exactly that: micro. This chapter aims to articulate a principled basis for taking the measure of microaggression. It argues that the latter sense is the best interpretation of “microaggression,” and that this resolves some confused critiques of the concept. The chapter describes some unresolved features of psychological and theoretical work on microaggression. It analyses two extant approaches, focuses respectively on overtness of prejudice and the functional role of microaggression in oppressive social systems. A microaggression is not just a tiny little aggression, nor is a macroaggression one great big aggression. Rather, a microaggression is a functional component of a macroaggressive systemic whole.