Toward Culturally Relevant Epistemologies in Occupational Therapy

Occupational identity: Engaging socio‐cultural perspectives

“…For instance, Iwama (2003) argued that the individualistic understandings of human agency prevalent in occupationfocused paradigms arise from European and Western values, and may be viewed as problematically ethnocentric. In contrast, in collectivist social contexts, social dimensions rather than the individual often wield greater power in influencing perceptions of what is right and proper.…”

Hashi‐ire: Where occupation, chopsticks, and mental health intersect

“…175-176). Similar concerns have been voiced in the literature relating to culture (Bonder, Martin, & Miracle, 2004;Clark, Sato, & Iwama, 2000;Dickie, 2004;Iwama, 2003;Kondo, 2004;Yerxa, 1993). I too raised concerns like these when observing hashi-ire, wondering if these occupations were meaningful and sufficiently individualized.…”

“…If the sense of self is inseparable from the whole, then a discussion of participation in occupation (in a Japanese sense) is likely inseparable from collective relationships and social context. The Japanese social context is organized around occupations that fundamentally promote a connection among individuals, placing them into relationships; moreover, an individual is constantly re-constructing his or her sense of self in reference to the occupations and relationships in which he or she is participating (Iwama;Kitayama et al, 1997;Kondo, 1990). Beyond the connection with other hashi-ire group members, hashi-ire represents, not just a task, but also a symbolic connection between chopstick assembler and chopstick user (Yoshizumi et al, 1985).…”

“…Here I present only a nonparadigmatic analysis of the data juxtaposed against theory in order to gain a richer understanding of occupations situated in a particular context. Iwama (2003) purported that the Western concept of occupation is "problematically left unreconciled to the Japanese experience of the social" (p. 587). Similarly, "Social theories that reflect such foreign ideals, such as individualism, monotheism, future temporal orientation, independence, and self-determinism" (p. 587) have little explanatory power in the Japanese context.…”

Three Views of Artful Practice in Psychosocial Occupational Therapy

“…They must also be knowledgeable about culturally relevant conceptual models of occupation on which to base their clinical interventions (Iwama, 2003(Iwama, , 2006. Therapists can develop their cultural sensitivity by cultivating careful attention on, active curiosity about, and self-reflection on the therapeutic encounter (Bonder et al, 2004).…”