Occupational therapy and culture: dimensions in dialog

Abstract

This manuscript aims to deepen and enrich discussions surrounding the intersection of occupational therapy and culture. It explores the relationship between these fields across three different dimensions: i) the cultural aspects of human activities in occupational therapy; ii) the influence of culture in the historical evolution and constitutive processes of occupational therapy, where the arts play a central role; and iii) the potential for culture to serve as a field of practice for occupational therapists, informed by cultural policies and the recognition of culture as a human right. In this framework, culture acquires different contours, providing insights into its relevance for human activities within the scope of occupational therapy. The present debate proposes that culture should be considered in the context of individual, community, and territorial human activities. These activities also participate in hegemonic processes of power that require an occupational-therapeutic approach, one that is cognizant of the complexities of cultural reproduction, hierarchical systems, classifications, violations, and colonization processes, as well as resistance to these factors. The study posits that the links between art, culture, and occupational therapy are merely coincidental but are important to the profession’s historical development and ongoing practice. Moreover, it contends that there exists a specialized field of action directly related to cultural policies, one that requires its own set of theoretical and methodological frameworks. This, in turn, enables potential collaboration with health, social assistance, education, and other sectors.