IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/dec/articl/2004-0923-53.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Accounting History Research:Traditional and New Accounting History Perspectives

Author

Listed:
  • Carmona, Salvador
  • Ezzamel, Mahmoud
  • Gutiérrez, Fernando

Abstract

Existe un debate en historia de la contabilidad acerca de las distintas formas cómo los materiales históricos deben ser recopilados, interpretados, analizados y, finalmente, sobre la forma cómo los mismos deben ser redactados. En cierta manera, el centro de este debate descansa en torno a la eterna polémica acerca de la “objetividad/subjetividad” de la investigación histórica. Así, mientras que la corriente más ortodoxa sostiene la idea de una interpretación objetiva de la historia, el enfoque alternativo defiende una interpretación de carácter crítico. En este artículo, nosotros pretendemos hacer una valoración del debate entre los enfoques tradicional y de nueva historia de la contabilidad. There is an ongoing debate in accounting history around the ways in which historical material should be gathered, interpreted, analysed and written. Lying at the heart of this debate is the perennial concern with ‘objective/interpretive’ modes of investigation. The mainstream orthodoxy of accounting history embraces the ‘objective’ view of history, whereas the alternative approach promotes interpretive and critical stances. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the achievements of NAH. This is attempted here by contrasting NAH with TAH along four dimensions: what counts as accounting; origins versus genealogies; roles of accounting; and sources of historical material. Under each of these dimensions, we show the differences between the two approaches and comment on the extent to which NAH may contribute to the study of accounting history.

Suggested Citation

  • Carmona, Salvador & Ezzamel, Mahmoud & Gutiérrez, Fernando, 2004. "Accounting History Research:Traditional and New Accounting History Perspectives," De Computis "Revista Española de Historia de la Contabilidad". De Computis "Spanish Journal of Accounting History"., Asociación Española de Contabilidad y Administración de Empresas (AECA). Spanish Accounting and Business Administration Association., issue 1, pages 24-53, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:dec:articl:2004-09:23-53
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.decomputis.org/dc/articulos_doctrinales/carmona_ezzamel_gutierrez.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richard K. Fleischman & Thomas N. Tyson, 1998. "The Evolution of Standard Costing in the U.K. and U.S.: From Decision Making to Control," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 34(1), pages 92-119, March.
    2. Marcia Annisette, 1999. "Importing accounting: the case of Trinidad and Tobago," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1), pages 103-133.
    3. Gary John Previts & Robert Bricker, 1994. "Fact and Theory in Accounting History: Presentmindedness and Capital Market Research," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(2), pages 625-641, March.
    4. Miller, Peter & O'Leary, Ted, 1987. "Accounting and the construction of the governable person," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 235-265, April.
    5. Hoskin, Keith W. & Macve, Richard H., 1986. "Accounting and the examination: A genealogy of disciplinary power," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 105-136, March.
    6. Arjo Klamer & Donald McCloskey, 1992. "Accounting as the master metaphor of economics," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(1), pages 145-160.
    7. Salvador Carmona & Marta Macías, 2001. "Institutional Pressures, Monopolistic Conditions and the Implementation of Early Cost Management Practices: The Case of the Royal Tobacco Factory of Seville (1820–1887)," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 37(2), pages 139-165, June.
    8. Miller, Peter & Hopper, Trevor & Laughlin, Richard, 1991. "The new accounting history: An introduction," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 16(5-6), pages 395-403.
    9. Burchell, Stuart & Clubb, Colin & Hopwood, Anthony & Hughes, John & Nahapiet, Janine, 1980. "The roles of accounting in organizations and society," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 5-27, January.
    10. Hoskin, Keith W. & Macve, Richard H., 1988. "The genesis of accountability: The west point connections," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 37-73, January.
    11. Hopper, Trevor & Armstrong, Peter, 1991. "Cost accounting, controlling labour and the rise of conglomerates," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 16(5-6), pages 405-438.
    12. Miller, Peter & Napier, Christopher, 1993. "Genealogies of calculation," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 18(7-8), pages 631-647.
    13. Miller, Peter & O'Leary, Ted, 1990. "Making accountancy practical," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 479-498.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Francesca Francioli & Alberto Quagli, 2021. "Management accounting change and the rise of Vespa (1884-1965)," MANAGEMENT CONTROL, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2021(suppl. 2), pages 313-338.
    2. Giuseppe Davide Caruso, 2018. "Exploring Salesians? management practices and accounting systems. A historical analysis through archival research," CONTABILIT? E CULTURA AZIENDALE, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2018(2), pages 53-83.
    3. Fleischman, Richard K. & Tyson, Thomas N. & Oldroyd, David, 2013. "America's “exceptional” transition to capitalism: A counter view," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(7), pages 616-626.
    4. Yana Ustinova I. & Яна Устинова Игоревна, 2018. "Концепция профессионального суждения бухгалтера в теории, методологии и практике // The Accountant’sProfessional JudgmentConcept in Theory, Methodology and Practice," Учет. Анализ. Аудит // Accounting. Analysis. Auditing, ФГОБУВО "Финансовый университет при Правительстве Российской Федерации" // Financial University under The Government of Russian Federation, vol. 5(2), pages 6-13.
    5. Lepore, Amedeo, 2005. "Sulle origini, sull'evoluzione e sullo stato dell'arte della Storia della Contabilità in Spagna. (Origin, evolution and state of the art of Accounting History in Spain)," De Computis "Revista Española de Historia de la Contabilidad". De Computis "Spanish Journal of Accounting History"., Asociación Española de Contabilidad y Administración de Empresas (AECA). Spanish Accounting and Business Administration Association., issue 3, pages 33-71, December.
    6. Lusiani, Maria & Pancot, Chiara & Sangster, Alan & Vedovato, Marco, 2023. "Bookkeeping, but not for profit: A special form of double entry in a 16th century Venetian charity," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(5).
    7. Per Forsberg, 2012. "How to control, intervene and mediate: the role of accounting in a modern textile company," International Journal of Critical Accounting, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 4(1), pages 6-20.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Napier, Christopher J., 2006. "Accounts of change: 30 years of historical accounting research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(4-5), pages 445-507.
    2. Bigoni, Michele & Funnell, Warwick, 2015. "Ancestors of governmentality: Accounting and pastoral power in the 15th century," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 27(C), pages 160-176.
    3. Mohamed Ali Dakkam, 2018. "qui et à quoi sert la comptabilité ? Un état de l'art et quelques réflexions théoriques pour dépasser le déterminisme des différents paradigmes," Post-Print hal-01907865, HAL.
    4. Radcliffe, Vaughan S., 1998. "Efficiency audit: An assembly of rationalities and programmes," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 377-410, May.
    5. Caroline Lambert & Éric Pezet, 2007. "Discipliner les autres et agir sur soi:la double vie du contrôleur de gestion," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 10(1), pages 183-208, March.
    6. Lambert, Caroline & Pezet, Eric, 2006. "Discipliner les autres et agir sur soi : les vies du contrôleur de gestion," HEC Research Papers Series 844, HEC Paris.
    7. Stacchezzini, Riccardo & Masiero, Eleonora & Lai, Alessandro, 2023. "Histories as counter-accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    8. repec:dau:papers:123456789/724 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Carnegie, Garry D. & McBride, Karen M. & Napier, Christopher J. & Parker, Lee D., 2020. "Accounting history and theorising about organisations," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 52(6).
    10. Caroline Virginie Lambert & Eric Pezet, 2006. "Discipliner et agir sur soi La double vie du contrôleur de gestion," Post-Print halshs-00558063, HAL.
    11. Trevor Boyns & John Richard Edwards & Marc Nikitin, 1998. "The development of industrial accounting in Britain and France before 1880: a comparative study of accounting literature and practice1," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 6(3), pages 393-437.
    12. Lambert, Caroline & Pezet, Eric, 2011. "The making of the management accountant - Becoming the producer of truthful knowledge," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 36(1), pages 10-30, January.
    13. Power, Michael, 2015. "How accounting begins: Object formation and the accretion of infrastructure," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 43-55.
    14. Toms, Steven & Fleischman, Richard K., 2015. "Accounting fundamentals and accounting change: Boulton & Watt and the Springfield Armory," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1-20.
    15. Bhimani, Alnoor, 1999. "Mapping methodological frontiers in cross-national management control research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 24(5-6), pages 413-440, July.
    16. Lukka, Kari & Granlund, Markus, 2002. "The fragmented communication structure within the accounting academia: the case of activity-based costing research genres," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 27(1-2), pages 165-190.
    17. Himick, Darlene, 2011. "Relative performance evaluation and pension investment management: A challenge for ESG investing," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 158-171.
    18. Neu, Dean & Ocampo Gomez, Elizabeth & Graham, Cameron & Heincke, Monica, 2006. ""Informing" technologies and the World Bank," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 635-662, October.
    19. Pierre Labardin & Antoine Fabre, 2017. "Dynamiques du contrôle social et pratiques comptables: le cas des bagnes de Guyane (1852-1867)," Post-Print hal-01907537, HAL.
    20. Neu, Dean & Everett, Jeff & Rahaman, Abu Shiraz, 2015. "Preventing corruption within government procurement: Constructing the disciplined and ethical subject," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 49-61.
    21. Spence, Crawford, 2010. "Accounting for the dissolution of a nation state: Scotland and the Treaty of Union," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 377-392, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:dec:articl:2004-09:23-53. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Izaga García, Juan (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aecaaea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.