ABSTRACT
As we send this book to press, it is hard to imagine that it was two years ago we first heard the words “novel coronavirus”. Within six months, many, if not most university students around the world were learning in a virtual, remote environment, or not attending school at all. Soon, microinsults such as “China virus” were being heard routinely on news outlets and social media platforms. More troublesome were the voices of those who did not understand why “China virus” would be a problematic phrase. Language is often weaponized in subtle ways, masked as sarcasm in some cases, delivered as slights, insults or mocking, in other cases. The acceptance of the term “China virus” reveals how quickly microaggressions, lateral violence and incivility become a part of cultural conformity. Given the speed at which covert violence spread across the globe we began to wonder, how much covert violence lies hidden in the time-honoured tradition of post-secondary education. The chapters in this book explored post-secondary cultural conformity revealing that colleges and universities are not welcoming for everyone and there are some who work to ensure the status quo by ignoring the microaggressions, lateral violence, and incivility that litter its hallowed halls.
