Denying everyday life: an epistemic proposal for Occupational Therapy based on an autoethnography of the popular revolt in Chile

Abstract

Considering the growing interest and development that the concept of quotidian has had in Latin American Occupational Therapy since the 90s, this article proposes articulating theoretical-critical conceptualizations about the everyday through the analysis of the Chilean popular revolt, which started in October 2019. The axis of this  articulation is the concept of intolerable routine, looking to substitute the historical and political construct of what everyday life is and, at the same time, reproduces precarious and intolerable forms of living. Methodologically, this exercise was carried out through an autoethnography that includes narrations and photographs from the author’s participation as an active protester during 22 days of protest and cultural manifestations held in Santiago de Chile, between October 2019 and March 2020. This reflective exercise highlights how the negation of everydayness allows an opening to critical thinking about living conditions, evidencing its texture of complex networks of power relations. Finally, it proposes the everyday as an epistemic shift for occupational therapy, recognizing the political power of human occupations and activities.