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Second Special Theme Issue:Occupation, Well-being andImmigrationJyothi Gupta PhD, OTR/L aa Doctor of Physical Therapy Program & Department ofOccupational Science and Occupational Therapy , HenriettaSchmoll School of Health, St. Catherine University , Minneapolis ,USAPublished online: 17 May 2013.

To cite this article: Jyothi Gupta PhD, OTR/L (2013) Second Special Theme Issue: Occupation,Well-being and Immigration, Journal of Occupational Science, 20:2, 105-106, DOI:10.1080/14427591.2013.792316

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2013.792316

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Second Special Theme Issue:

Occupation, Well-being and Immigration

This second installment of the spe-

cial issue on Occupation, Well-being

and Immigration includes eight fea-

ture articles that present the central

role of occupation in the resettle-

ment and social integration process

of immigrants and refugees. They

illustrate how the sociocultural and

sociopolitical aspects of the new

context both enable and constrain

continued participation in tradi-

tional and new ways. The impact of

occupational discontinuity on iden-

tity preservation and reconstruction,

and the well-being of individuals

and families emerge across multiple

studies. This exemplifies the uni-

versality of occupation as a health

determinant and the need to parti-

cipate in occupations as a basic drive

in all persons regardless of their

circumstances.

The issue begins with a conceptual

paper by a group of international

and interdisciplinary scholars who

critically examine the prevalent con-

cept of ‘aging in place’, a mainstay in

addressing place in the successful

aging process. Johansson and collea-

gues argue that research on migra-

tion in aging pre-supposes the

problematic nature of discontinuity

in place, and does not account for

individual agency in place negotia-

tion and systemic influences that

may help or hinder the process of

place making. The authors highlight

the insufficiency of aging in place as

a conceptual lens, and make a case

for a ‘‘framework that acknowledges

aspects of agency and capability in

the place making process’’ to under-

stand how place is experienced and

negotiated through occupations, not

only by aging immigrants but also

across the lifespan of all individuals.

Immigrants bring with them notions

of place and ‘‘home,’’ in the form of

memories of familiar occupational

and contextual elements acquired

through daily life experiences in

their country of origin. Memories

of home are both explicit and im-

plicit. For instance, the smell of

cardamom and saffron evoke mem-

ories of my childhood and festivities

in India, a time when desserts and

other delicacies are made. Although

I have made my home in North

America for over 30 years, I feel

nostalgic. These sentiments are cap-

tured in Bailliard’s ethnographic

study with the migrant Latino com-

munity in the US, which documents

how sensory issues influence and

impact their occupational experi-

ences. When immigrants are unable

to replicate the multisensory quali-

ties of pre-immigration occupations,

the meaning of their occupational

experiences is altered and their

well-being is compromised. As Bail-

liard suggests, occupational science

would benefit from additional focus

on the ‘‘pre-cognitive or uncon-

scious elements of occupation and

their impact on the lived experience

of occupation.’’

More overt consequences of changed

occupational contexts are repor-

ted by Mpofu and Hocking, who

j Jyothi Gupta, PhD, OTR/L,

Associate Professor, Doctor of

Physical Therapy Program &

Department of Occupational

Science and Occupational

Therapy, Henrietta Schmoll

School of Health, St.

Catherine University,

Minneapolis, USA

Jyothi Gupta

j Correspondence to:

jgupta@stkate.edu

– 2013 The Journal of

Occupational Science

Incorporated

Journal of Occupational Science,

2013

Vol. 20, No. 2, 105�106,

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/

14427591.2013.792316

JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SCIENCE, Vol . 20 , No. 2 , 2013 105

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explored the challenges faced by immigrant

health professionals attempting entry to profes-

sional practice in New Zealand. Using occupa-

tional deprivation and occupational apartheid

lenses, the authors identify the occupational

constraints, emotional toll, and adaptive strate-

gies these professionals employ to navigate the

systems associated with employment. Their aim

in documenting these challenges is to influence

policy. Further challenges associated with immi-

gration are described by Torp, Berggren and

Erlandsson. They studied the centrality of food-

related occupations for Somali women immi-

grants to Sweden, as they endeavor to preserve

and transmit a sense of cultural belonging

through traditional ways of doing. Routines and

the content of the daily meals, experiences related

to cooking and shopping for groceries, social

dimensions of food-related occupations, and

identity and roles were all altered as the women

took on paid employment outside of their home.

The latter limited their time for cooking but food-

related occupations remained important ‘‘for the

creation of identity and the maintenance of the

family.’’

Music-making was the occupational vehicle in

cross-cultural adjustment in Adrian’s ethnogra-

phy, which explored the intersectionality of

music, religion and culture in the lives of first-

or second generation refugees and immigrants in

20 different Lutheran congregations in the United

States. This study demonstrates, yet again, the

strategic use of occupation by immigrants to

integrate and create a sense of place and belong-

ing. In their contemporary postcolonial context,

music was ‘‘a cultural occupation capable of

encompassing their emergent, multi-faceted iden-

tity’’ and, in doing so, facilitated social integration.

The influence of social network patterns on

participation in everyday occupations in new

socio-cultural contexts is the fundamental

premise of Smith’s article. It documents the

historically complex immigration experience of

Somali Bantu, who moved from Somalia, via

Kenyan refugee camps, to the United States.

With limited financial and familial resources, not

only were the Somali Bantu challenged during

and after their migration but the local resettle-

ment agencies also encountered significant chal-

lenges. Smith examines how, like occupations,

some aspects of the immigrants’ social capital

stayed intact while others were disrupted. The

‘‘old ways’’ are relied on heavily to share

information of the broader context and systems,

but are not transferable to the broader social

context. Complimenting that study, Lencucha,

Davis and Polatajko describe how immigrant

children’s occupational development and choices

are influenced by the dual-cultured context of

family and the greater community. The authors

identify the critical role of community and

family in helping children integrate old and

new occupations, and how they use occupation

as the vehicle for exploring possibilities in the

new context.

Finally, the value of an occupational perspective

in facilitating successful integration is the focus of

Suleman and Whiteford’s article, which illustrates

an ‘‘innovation in resettlement practice’’ at a

refugee resettlement service in Australia. They

describe an occupation-based life skills program

that addresses the issues of occupation, occupa-

tional deprivation, and occupational adaptation

to help new immigrants in reconstructing mean-

ing and identity in new contexts.

JYOTHI GUPTA

106 JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL SCIENCE, Vol . 20 , No. 2 , 2013

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