Caste and occupation: A perspective

Access to, and participation in, occupation is necessary for human health and well-being. However, humans exist in a socio-political-cultural context, which has the potential to systemically and structurally impede occupational engagement. Within the Indian milieu, caste is one dimension of the socio-political context impacting people's occupational participation, depriving them of the choice for agency in their occupation. We begin with a brief history of the caste system in India, before considering the effects of caste on everyday occupation within the domains of education, media, and manual scavenging. Drawing on these examples, it is argued that caste creates a context that perpetuates occupational injustice. Taking learnings from the anti-racism movement, suggestions are offered for how occupational therapists and researchers might bear witness to and respond to caste in their work, both with clients and in their own lives.