Speakers
Description
Although microaggressions frequently attack racial minorities’ personhood and portray them as linguistically deficient, few studies have investigated how language educators can support learners’ resilience and response strategies. This study examines reflections from 70 Japanese mixed-heritage individuals about their encounters with microaggressions and their confrontation and coping strategies. Although participants were often nonconfrontational in the past, they reported various strategies for confronting and educating perpetrators moving forward. We summarize these and discuss pedagogical applications.
Abstract
Linguistic and racial minorities often encounter microaggressions that attack their sense of personhood and portray them as linguistically deficient (Tsai et al., 2024). The cumulative effects of such microaggressions can negatively impact the mental well-being of minorities, increasing the risk for psychological distress, anxiety, and clinical depression (Griffith et al., 2019; Meyer, 2003; Spanierman, 2021). Although scholars in social psychology have proposed microintervention strategies to help victims and allies disarm, resist or heal from microaggressions (cf. Sue et al., 2019), applied linguistics has yet to address ways we teach such strategies in language classrooms, teacher training or study abroad preparation. To this end, we share an example of how we investigated the locally situated microaggressions faced by mixed-heritage individuals in Japan and their microintervention strategies. Using a “narrative frame survey” (Barkhuizen & Wette, 2018) and thematic analysis (Braun & Clark, 2006), we analyzed stories and reflections from 70 Japanese mixed heritage individuals about their encounters with microaggressions, the emotional impacts, and their microintervention strategies. Findings reveal that participants were largely nonconfrontational in past encounters with microaggressions; yet, report a strong desire to confront and educate perpetrators through techniques that vary from less to more face-threatening. We summarize these strategies participants and discuss how this research approach can be adapted for use within language classrooms and communities of practice to empower minorities and allies with communication strategies to resist and heal from microaggressions.
References
Barkhuizen, G., & Wette, R. (2008). Narrative frames for investigating the experiences of language teachers. System, 36(3), 372–387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2008.02.002
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa
Griffith, A. N., Hurd, N. M., & Hussain, S. B. (2019). “I Didn’t Come to School for This”: A Qualitative Examination of Experiences With Race-Related Stressors and Coping Responses Among Black Students Attending a Predominantly White Institution. Journal of Adolescent Research, 34(2), 115–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743558417742983
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, social stress, and mental health in lesbian, gay, and bisexual populations: Conceptual issues and research evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674
Spanierman, L. B., Clark, D. A., & Kim, Y. (2021). Reviewing Racial Microaggressions Research: Documenting Targets’ Experiences, Harmful Sequelae, and Resistance Strategies. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 16(5), 1037–1059. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211019944
Tsai, A., Straka, B., & Gaither, S. (2024). Mixed-heritage individuals’ encounters with raciolinguistic ideologies. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 45(2), 507–521. https://doi.org/10.1080/01434632.2021.1904964
Keywords
race, language, social justice, identity, allyship
Short summary
Although microaggressions frequently attack racial minorities’ personhood and portray them as linguistically deficient, few studies have investigated how language educators can support learners’ resilience and response strategies. This study examines reflections from 70 Japanese mixed-heritage individuals about their encounters with microaggressions and their confrontation and coping strategies. Although participants were often nonconfrontational in the past, they reported various strategies for confronting and educating perpetrators moving forward. We summarize these and discuss pedagogical applications.
| Scheduling preference | Anytime on Saturday or Sunday |
|---|---|
| Title | Teaching Microinterventions for Linguistic and Racial Microaggressions |