Alternative Accounts

Today I'm at the Alternative Accounts Conference in Ottawa. This boutique conference started out as a workshop run by a handful of critical scholars at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta, over 10 years ago. David Cooper and Dean Neu were the ringleaders. It was my first exposure to scholarly accounting discussions outside a classroom setting.

Today, the conference is hosted by a fine group of critical accounting scholars at the University of Ottawa, including my co-author Darlene Himick. It's a three-day event now, complete with a doctoral colloquium.

In the academic world, it's important to recognize your tribe, and to feel that sense of belonging that comes from reuniting with those who share your values. This is my tribe. The challenge is for the tribe to stay open to other perspectives and continually strive to break down ideological barriers. Inquiry is a moral activity, not just an epistemological one.