The Moral and Political Status of Microaggressions

Heather Stewart (University of Western Ontario, Oklahoma State University)

You are invited to Heather Stewart's public thesis talk on Wednesday, July 28th at 2:00pm Eastern Time. Abstract and Zoom info below. Hope to see you there! 

The Moral and Political Status of Microaggressions

Abstract: My research focuses on the power that language has to shape our social and political worlds, often in subtle and difficult to detect ways. Our society is stratified along lines of race, ethnicity, religious affiliation, socioeconomic class, gender identity, sexual orientation, dis/ability status, body size, and more. I am interested in the ways that our linguistic practices (e.g., how we use speech and engage in communication with one another) contribute to, or reinforce, problematic forms of social stratification and hierarchy. One speech phenomenon that I argue contributes to oppression and reinforces social hierarchy is what has been called “microaggressions.” Microaggressions are frequent and subtle comments (or gestures or features of our social environments) which function to reinforce stereotypes or biases about members of structurally marginalized groups. My work aims to get clear on what microaggressions are, how we should understand and study them, in what ways they can be harmful to their targets, and why they warrant our moral concern. 

Zoom info

Link: https://westernuniversity.zoom.us/j/91467503710 

Meeting ID: 914 6750 3710 

Passcode: phil 

Phone into meeting + 1 647 558 0588