Postmodernism and accounting : mirror or myth?

Abstract

Words such as postmodernism and postmodern have become part of our vocabulary and are used in everyday conversations. However, the underlying concepts and ideas are generally diffuse and defy concise definition and exact classification. This article examines the concepts and ideas of postmodernism and their implications for accounting. It is accepted that postmodernism does not necessarily replace modernism entirely. Rather, it represents a modification of modernism. Some of the implications of a postmodern world for an essentially modern subject, such as accounting, are differentiated in this article. For example, accounting may be required to become more flexible and address the needs of various stakeholders, whilst barriers between itself and other subjects, disciplines and areas of interest may decline in importance or may even disappear.