Microaggressions

Abstract This chapter provides a history of microaggressions. The term was coined in 1970 by a Black Harvard psychologist, Chester Pierce, to describe the “subtle blows” experienced by Black people that are not major or explicit and yet cause real harm. Though little was written about microaggressions for three decades, microaggressions gained traction in 2007 through the work of psychologist Derald Wing Sue and his colleagues. Chapter 1 discusses Sue et al.’s work on microaggressions, tracing key revisions and developments the concept has undergone in the last 15 years. It also outlines some of the main criticisms that have been launched against microaggressions and considers responses that have been offered. This chapter provides the groundwork for Chapter 2, which lays out a novel critique of the dominant understanding of microaggressions. It also motivates our reconceptualization of microaggressions that comprises the majority of this book.