RESEARCH ARTICLE
Invalidated identities: The disconfirming effects of racial microaggressions on Black doctoral students in STEM
Monica L. Miles,
Amanda J. Brockman,
Dara E. Naphan-Kingery,
Corresponding Author
Monica L. Miles
New York Sea Grant, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Correspondence
Monica L. Miles, New York Sea Grant, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAmanda J. Brockman
Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Search for more papers by this authorDara E. Naphan-Kingery
Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, New Mexico, USA
Search for more papers by this authorMonica L. Miles,
Amanda J. Brockman,
Dara E. Naphan-Kingery,
Corresponding Author
Monica L. Miles
New York Sea Grant, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA
Correspondence
Monica L. Miles, New York Sea Grant, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.
Email: [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAmanda J. Brockman
Department of Sociology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
Search for more papers by this authorDara E. Naphan-Kingery
Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, Western New Mexico University, Silver City, New Mexico, USA
Search for more papers by this authorFunding information: National Science Foundation, Grant/Award Number: 1361025
Abstract
Black students face repeated racial microaggressions that may challenge their mental health and academic performance in engineering doctoral programs. Researchers attribute this to stereotypes and institutional climates that juxtapose their STEM and racial identities as incongruent. In this article, we analyzed the perceptions of environmental, behavioral, and verbal racial microaggressions of 33 Black doctoral students and postdocs, with a focus on their interactions with non-Black peers. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with Black doctoral students from 11 Predominantly White Institutions in the United States. To analyze the experiences of our participants, we utilized two theoretical frameworks: Racial microaggressions and identity nonverification. Across the interviews, participants described various forms of racial microaggressions that greatly challenged their sense of belonging and identities as engineers. This research affirms the need to develop initiatives at the departmental and institutional levels to encourage more inclusive spaces for diverse students in STEM doctoral programs and to combat the types of exclusionary practices found in this study.
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