Ont i akademin. Minnen mellan skav och mikrovänligheter

Abstract

This autobiographical study traces the author’s return to academia after a car accident, examining the friction between academic work and living as a woman with long-term pain—an invisible disability often dismissed or minimized, particularly when experienced by women. Through a series of encounters with colleagues, the study shows how such interactions are frequently ambiguous and open to multiple, sometimes conflicting, interpretations. Actions not intended as harmful may still be experienced as microaggressions when disability intersects with vulnerability, doubt, or bodily unpredictability. To capture a fuller spectrum of interaction, the study introduces the concept of microfriendliness: small, everyday gestures of care that are neither instrumental nor grand, but aim to recognise, support, and strengthen others. The author argues that attending to microfriendliness is essential for understanding disabled experiences in academia and for challenging stigma, creating space for those who do not fit normative expectations to live with their situation rather than in spite of it.