Precarious Professionals: (in)Secure Identities and Moral Agency in Neocolonial Context

Kelly Thomson () and Joanne Jones ()
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Kelly Thomson: York University
Joanne Jones: York University

Journal of Business Ethics, 2017, vol. 146, issue 4, No 3, 747-770

Abstract: Abstract We contribute to the literature on ethics in the professions by theorizing how global mobility precipitates professional insecurity and constrained moral agency. We present our findings of a study of accountants migrating to Canada. Using postcolonial theory and relational/poststructuralist theories of identity and ethics, we contrast the experiences of marginalized and privileged migrant accountants to show how those with “diverse” social identities are not recognized by professionals in Canada and must seek recognition from Canadian colleagues, employers, and clients to reconstitute their professional identities and moral agency. We discuss the implications of the exclusion and marginalization of professionals for migrants, the profession, and society more generally.

Keywords: Accountants; Professional identity; Moral agency; Migration; Postcolonial theory; Inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1007/s10551-016-3218-3

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