Post colonial occupational therapy: Perspectives from an old empire

The subject of post colonialism in occupational therapy is something one might be a little apologetic about, as a white, male, British person who grew up in the 1960s at the end of the colonial era. In a forthcoming chapter for the next edition of Occupational Therapy without Borders Solangel Garcia Ruiz shares her position as a woman from Colombia, in the global south. It’s worth buying the book for that chapter! This presentation will look at post colonialism from the experience of a white middle class professional. I will give a personal experience of how this period and its influences impacted on my development as an occupational therapist, applying a 3P archaelogical process (Pollard et al 2008). The 3 P stand for Personal, Political and Professional, and they are a simple tool for identifying a critical position. Many parts of Europe are experiencing a postcolonial phenomenon of population diversity which is increased by the current migrant crises. For some time the need for professions such as occupational therapy to develop the skills required to work with different people, and to reflect the diversity in the population has been evident. The main problem from these situations is the serious inequalities in opportunity. Clinical conditions cannot be seen in isolation from the complex social and cultural environments in which they arise. This presentation will not assume to propose solutions but will conclude with some proposals about developing collective actions through which occupational interventions can be inclusive, and which can take some inspiration from the epistemologies of the south.