"What do you put in your hair to make it curly?"

Here I hope to place microagressions within the notion of Eurocentricism. 

I am also attempting to use the language and concepts taught in lectures and tutorials in a way appropriate to academic writing and with my own perspective and situation in mind. I am attempting to avoid problematic ways of talking about ‘race’, while acknowledging that being too restrictive on the language we use to discuss social realities shuts down the conversation. I use terms like ‘people of colour’, ‘non-white’, ‘other’, and ‘black-ness’ knowingly and critically. 

I'd really like some feedback and criticism!! 

Microagression is a defining term for the everyday racisms experienced by people of colour. Whether this materializes itself as the ever-charming “where are you from?” or in peoples confidence to dive their hands into your hair without permission reflects a Eurocentric treatment towards non-white individuals that both ‘others’ and fetishises their identities and attributes.

 These microagressions are largely offered with no intention to be derogative- they repeat themselves on individuals as those around them address their ‘difference’. They are problematic because harmlessness in intent does not make up for the power the Eurocentric gaze has to frame people as ‘others’ and imply they have less valuable perspectives and places in society. It is evidence of a privileged position that matches that of the dominant group and reinforces the status quo.

When we are speaking about racial inequalities we term society as being stratified by ‘race’. In this structure, white people and white powers create ‘common sense’ racism by defining, representing, and treating ethnic difference according to limited and arbitrary considerations. Our society's emphasis on ‘difference’ and the need to define other people in order to understand ourselves provides a basis for the historic categorization of people according to physical markers. These groupings do not operate on a spectrum of equality in which our differences separate but do not stratify us: they are understood to reflect some kind of inherent inferiority. These notions are social constructions and can be unlearnt.

Microagressions are experienced by those most disadvantaged by their discerned 'race'. Commenting on particular aspects of someones appearance, their accent or questioning their heritage may seem benign but expresses an emphasis on the individual belonging to and representing their ethnic group. This assigning of 'racial identity' is accompanied by a set of expectations and potentials that have consequences and may have zero relationship to one's own cultural or ethnic associations.

Homogenising a person to represent the group encourages stereotyping and de-humanises those outside of the Eurocentric elite. It also encourages the opposite flow of meaning that assumes someone appearing to belong to a certain group guarantees them certain qualities and attitudes. When deconstructing the implications of these 'common sense' racisms, we must observe their initial affect on an individuals sense of self and self esteem. These small moments of assumption and expectation can have very big consequences for those that experience them time and time again. 

In considering the way we systematically express Eurocentricism in our attitudes and actions, it is worth noting that the discourse around most phenomena is a Eurocentric one. Even the repeated use of the word ‘race’ is problematic, as the invention of ‘race’ can be considered the founding father of racism. ‘Race’ is not fundamentally something an individual can decide on or identify with in a way that feels appropriate to them; it is something imposed according to physical markers and comes with unsought consequences. New treatments of ‘race’ allow people to claim markers, such as a movement towards celebrating "Black-ness" as a relevant part of their self-prescribed identity. The grammar of these markers is re-appropriated as recognition of a shared experience of racism. 

Microagressions are evidence of the Eurocentric gaze that dominates the politics of representation. Naturalised expressions of racist ideologies occur in the everyday, and so, have everyday consequences. Deconstructing these 'common sense' racisms is a step towards deconstructing much bigger and badder manifestations of hate that continue to separate and stratify our society.