Entrepreneurship as a discipline: Outline of a reflection

L'entrepreneuriat en tant que discipline: Ébauche d'une réflexion

Salima Chafiki () and Kaoutar El Menzhi ()
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Salima Chafiki: LARMODAD - Le laboratoire de recherche en management des organisations, droit des affaires et développement durable (LARMODAD) Faculté des Sciences Juridiques Economiques et Sociales Souissi -Rabat Université Mohammed V de Rabat, Maroc - FSJES Souissi RABAT - Faculté des Sciences juridiques, économiques et sociales Souissi RABAT
Kaoutar El Menzhi: FSJES Souissi RABAT - Faculté des Sciences juridiques, économiques et sociales Souissi RABAT

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Abstract: The purpose of this article is to present a theoretical reflection on the construction of entrepreneurial knowledge in light of research conducted in the field and its developments. Entrepreneurship, as a discipline, has long been regarded as a ‘category error' and a non-sense, as it is based on knowledge that does not belong to it, namely that of economics and management. In this respect, academics have described its body of knowledge as incomplete and unstable. Yet, an increasing number of universities now offer entrepreneurship programs, and the very fact that it is taught demonstrates the existence of a distinct body of knowledge underpinned by a field of study that can be transmitted. However, the question of ‘can entrepreneurship be taught?' has been repeatedly raised ever since researchers began to question its academic legitimacy. However, few studies link the epistemological debate surrounding the absence of a dominant paradigm in entrepreneurship with its actual translation into university teaching frameworks. In this article, we attempt to investigate, in the light of previous research (Kuhn, 1962; Lakatos (1970); Landström, 2020; Fayolle, Verzat & Wapshott, 2016), the extent to which a field of knowledge succeeds in establishing itself as a recognized scientific discipline. Through an analytical and narrative literature review, this article seeks to examine ‘entrepreneurship' across the four dimensions recognized as establishing its academic legitimacy, namely the epistemological, paradigmatic, disciplinary and pedagogical dimensions. We highlight, through each dimension, its uniqueness as a complex phenomenon with multiple and polysemic meanings, as implicitly reflected in the evolution of various interpretations by researchers in the field. This article identifies potential criteria for the disciplinarisation of entrepreneurship, as well as providing an in-depth perspective on the convergences and divergences surrounding its disciplinarisation.

Keywords: Entrepreneurial education; Knowledge production system; Criteria for disciplinary classification; Entrepreneurship; Education entrepreneuriale; Système de production des connaissances; Critère de disciplinarisation; Entrepreneuriat (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-06-02
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-05642012v1
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Published in International Journal of Accounting, Finance, Auditing, Management and Economics, 2026, 6 (6), pp.462-494. ⟨10.5281/zenodo.20356599⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05642012

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.20356599

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