Subtle racial expressions which may undermine an individual's confidence and their ability to bond with others

I believe this definition refers to microaggressions.

It is a term that has been around in sociology for some time, and refers to these casual racial insults that may not seem racial to the person who says them. For example, asking an Asian person where he or she is from, to which they say - New York, and then asking them - No, really, where are you from?, as if you don't believe they are American.