Occupation in the Anthropocene and Ethical Relationality

Abstract

Purpose.Occupations have “implications for individuals, societies, and the earth”. This article focusses on implications of occupation in relation to the earth and examines the potential to expand occupational justice beyond anthropocentric viewpoints to honour interspecies justice.Approach.A ‘theory as method’ approach is used to explore the literature. Transgressive decolonial hermeneutics informs analysis.Key issues.The discussion advances understandings about human occupation in relation to more-than-humans, intersections with human occupations and animals, and ethical relationality.Implications.Occupational justice includes honouring interdependence of species, engaging in occupations in ways that are sustainable, considering future generations, and refraining from occupations that have a destructive or detrimental impact on the earth and more-than-humans. The profession has a collective responsibility to honour Indigenous worldviews and Indigenous sovereignty, recognising and welcoming the potential for Western conceptualisations of occupation to be transformed.