Building knowledge of occupation from the ground up: A field in search of epistemic fairness and social relevance

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this keynote address to the first World Occupational Science Conference, I share some of the questions I have been grappling with, in the hope that others will perhaps point to alternatives in the way we look for solutions to the dire global context in which we find ourselves in 2022. The questions concern whether contemporary societies need the knowledge occupational science is generating, that is, whether it is useful in explaining the changes, emergent patterns, risks, conflicts, and unfair distribution that trouble societies. Can we be relevant to social change? What I try to reflect on is how to validate embodied, subjective, holistic, and collective forms of knowledge that are solidary and inclusively built, a truly integrated model of knowing, and yet not risk the celebrated (and pursued) scientific status. In addressing these questions, I point to the interconnection of colonization and science, which has largely disregarded Indigenous knowledge methodologies, artisanal knowledge, the intersection of thoughts and feelings, and ciencia nativa (native science) to name a few. I also pose the challenging questions of whether we support occupational scientists while they try to consolidate challenging new lines of research, and how many compromises we should accept to achieve the scientific status that is similar to well-established fields.