Microaggressions Reconsidered

Abstract In response to the problems of an act-based account of microaggressions discussed in Chapter 2, Chapter 3 advances a revised account: the harm-based account of microaggressions. Instead of understanding microaggressions from the perspective of the acts committed by microaggressing agents, this chapter argues that the concept must be reoriented toward recipients of microaggressions and the harms they experience. The three types of microaggressions that comprise a harm-based account are epistemic microaggressions, which result in epistemic harm (namely, harm to someone in their capacity as a knower); emotional microaggressions, which result in emotional harm; and self-identity microaggressions microaggression, which result in harm to one’s sense of self. This chapter introduces and provides examples of each category of microaggression and demonstrates how a harm-based account is theoretically, practically, and morally preferable to an act-based account. It sets the foundation for the rest of the book where each type of microaggression is developed within medical and healthcare contexts.