Academic Turning Points: How Microaggressions and Macroaggressions Inhibit Diversity and Inclusion in the Academy

Abstract

In this essay, I reflect upon my experiences as a student, faculty member, and editor. I argue that microaggressions and macroaggressions, in classrooms and conference rooms, facilitate academic turning points—moments and experiences that turn underrepresented scholars away from academia as students, faculty, and staff in departments, centers, and institutions of higher learning. In what follows, I reflect on three moments when my career path almost diverged from its current position and trajectory, and from these experiences, I distill concrete recommendations for administrators, editors, faculty, and students on how to cultivate academic environments that enable underrepresented scholars to thrive in the academy.