Social/Critical/Emancipatory Accounting Research: Its Failure and Prospects for Redemption

Abstract

Social, critical, and emancipatory accounting research has been around for a half a century under its various labels. Yet, while it may have achieved some minor victories in its quest for “social justice” and concern for “environmental degradation”, after 50 years it has failed to achieve its ultimate objective—to ultimately change existing social relations, move toward a more equitable social order, and participate in an actual transformation of the system by reforming financial statements by incorporating non-GAAP social costs and benefits into financial statements. The purpose of this paper is first to identify the reasons for the failure of social, critical, and emancipatory accounting research to achieve its ultimate objective. This paper makes a critical analysis of the target of critical accounting research, the field of battle in which it has chosen to engage the target, and the methods it has chosen with which to confront its target. Second, this paper explains what is necessary for SCE accounting research to make progress toward achieving its ultimate objective in order to refocus its energies into research more germane to achieving its ultimate objective and thereby redeem itself from languishing in a state of irrelevancy.