Artistry of the everyday: connection, continuity and context

Citing breakthroughs in neuroscience, personal accounts of occupational adaptation in extreme circumstances, and everyday occupational narratives, Whiteford explores how occupation connects us with others and gives a sense of continuity, whilst also being shaped by the historic, cultural and political context. Illustrating her narrative with stories of the daily routines of an Albanian refugee camp inhabitant, a patchwork group for grandmothers parenting their grandchildren in poverty, and the musical longevity of the Rolling Stones, Whiteford concludes that occupational engagement across the lifespan is being challenged and reinvented in ways that support the emergence of community engagement and more sustainable ways of living.