Cultural competency and the reproduction of White supremacy in occupational therapy education

Abstract

Background: In this two-part paper, critical race theory is used as an analytic tool to examine how anti-Blackness, anti-Indigenous colonial relations and Orientalism have and continue to influence the ways in which occupational therapy is taught and practised in Canada. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to incite reflection on the ongoing oppressive narratives that pervade occupational therapy education and support culturally unsafe practices. Methods: Through the lenses of liberal multiculturalism, liberal recognition politics and neoliberal capitalism, the author demonstrates how notions of ‘cultural competency’ are the logical product of an institutionalised racism that functions as a tool for the reproduction of White supremacy and racism in healthcare and healthcare education. Conclusions: Findings challenge the ongoing use of cultural competency frameworks in healthcare systems and education and propose a radical shift towards critical and structural frameworks.