Indigenous practices of accounting on the ground: a Bourdieusian perspective

Peni Fukofuka, Matthew Scobie and Glenn Finau

Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 2022, vol. 36, issue 1, 96-119

Abstract: Purpose - This study explores accounting practice in an Indigenous organization. This organization is embedded within a rural Aboriginal community in the country currently known as Australia. In doing so, this study illustrates the intertwining of accounting practice, practitioners, organizations and social/cultural context, while recognizing that the cultural embeddedness of accounting is not uniform. Design/methodology/approach - Empirical materials were collected as part of a qualitative field study with an Indigenous organization. Specific methods include interviews, informal conversations, documentary reviews and participant observations. These materials were analysed through a Bourdieusian perspective. Findings - By working with Indigenous Peoples on the ground, rather than relying on secondary materials, this study highlights how the values of a community challenge and reorient accounting practice towards community aspirations. This study illustrates how fields beyond the organization influence accounting practice, including in budgeting and assurance. Originality/value - Exploring Indigenous practices of accounting maintains Indigenous agency and opens up space for alternative understandings and practices of accounting. By illustrating how a community can influence the accounting practice of an organization, this study has implications for wider understandings of the cultural embeddedness of mainstream accounting and possible alternatives.

Keywords: Australia; Aboriginal; Indigenous; Bourdieu; Accounting practice (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:aaajpp:aaaj-11-2021-5529

DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-11-2021-5529

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