Mapping the Evolving Ideas of Occupational Justice

Abstract

The values of occupational therapy are grounded in justice, and its origins in activism and advocacy. Enabling individuals to participate in meaningful occupations to enhance health and well-being was the genesis of the profession that answered a call to justice. Occupational science brought focus to understand humans as occupational beings and made justice more visible in the discourse. A systematic mapping review was undertaken to deconstruct how notions of occupational justice (OJ) have been woven in the literature. The ideas of OJ were dominant in 40 out of the 120 articles that met the study’s inclusion criteria. OJ was represented mainly in the context of disadvantaged groups and dissonance in practice. For OJ to influence policy, the focus on the individuals’ experiences of occupational injustices must be seen as transacting with systems and policies that contribute to participation inequities in groups and populations.