Solutions to Microaggressions in the ‘Postracial’ Canadian Workplace

Despite its prefix, the lasting impact microaggressive behaviour has on racialized people is no small thing. This thesis investigates microaggression as a cultural phenomenon, providing new insights on the connection between covert racism, socialization, and workplace culture. Postracial beliefs favour the idea that society has overcome or is beyond racism, that racist behaviour is the exception not the rule. As postracialism interacts with Canada’s national image, it further obscures damaging ideologies affecting how we understand professional culture and ways to make more inclusive workplaces. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with racialized employees to gather first-hand accounts of the barriers to the integration of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in the professional landscape of the Greater Toronto Area. Thematic and framing analysis lend themselves to the analysis, identifying solutions and strategies to cope with and mitigate microaggression at work through three frames: racialization, meritocracy, and professionalism. Keywords: critical race theory, microaggression, equity, anti-racism, black Canadian studies, professionalism and labour