to top
The term ‘social transformation through occupation’ is used broadly to refer to various approaches that focus on using occupation as a means to restructure practices, systems and structures, so as to ameliorate occupational and social inequities.
Project team: Claire Craig / Nicholas Pollard
Funded by: European Network of Occupational Therapists in Higher Education
The social transformation through occupation think-tank has brought together a global multi-sectorial group, which includes professionals, service users, researchers, politicians, members of the public, students and teachers. The enquiry explores how communities draw on collective creativity to come together and build assets to support quality of life.
Members of the think-tank and its associated network which spans over 30 countries, have been gathering information and creating pathways towards actions to tackle health inequalities through an occupation based perspective. The research team focuses on ways to bring together diverse theoretical perspectives and practices to move social transformation through occupation forward.
Early research has been manifested in an e-book of Case Studies for Social Transformation through Occupation. The e-book shares exemplar case studies generated throughout the research, providing ideas for how such case studies can be used in education and practice.
Analysis of these case studies identified that participants were drawing upon key principles and practices associated with broader models of social transformations, particularly those associated with participatory, emancipatory and community development approaches. Aligned with these types of approaches, participants emphasized the need to:
- Span a continuum from individual lives to political systems
- Incorporate critical examination of power and positionality
- Engage critical theoretical frameworks
- Build collaborative partnerships across diverse groups
Thank you for your work and inspiration on this important topic. Congratulations for this fantastic product. I could see this resource being useful for introducing occupation to students in other disciplines. I would like to use the cases as exemplars for my students’ projects in health entrepreneurship.
Comment from Educator