The professionalization of accountants in Brazil

Abstract

This paper is a contribution to the study of the emergence and evolution of the accounting profession in Brazil and its main focus is the analysis of its institutionalization, based on the sociology of professions. Its objective is to understand how the accounting profession was institutionalized and how its field of work was defined in Brazil, based on the sociology of professions, particularly on the concept of Professional Project developed by Larson (1977). The study is of an exploratory nature, the method used was historiography and the procedure was documentary research. The results show that the occupational group linked to accounting activities in Brazil developed a Professional Project and implemented it successfully. Thus, it (i) achieved a monopoly over the services it provides, (ii) had its jurisdiction recognized, namely the right to self-control, (iii) influenced the training of new entrants, imposing the construction of their knowledge and controlling their discourse (Foucault, 1971), (iv) established its unity and the need for registration (licensure) for the exercise of the accounting profession. Recently, it managed to impose the need for an exam to obtain registration, thus ensuring complete control over the newcomers. Regarding the improvement of the profession, the study suggests considering the line proposed by Macintosh and Baker (2002) and Macintosh (2005), related to the representational nature of accounting and, consequently, to the ways of reporting the truth in financial statements. Another aspect to consider is related to the study and practice of ethics in the sense proposed by Foucault (2009).

Key words: accountant, professionalism, sociology of professions, professional project.