The internationalization of Italian critical accounting scholarship: between language and national tradition

This editorial discusses the potential of Italian accounting scholarship to contribute to critical accounting studies. The aim of this special issue is to give a prominent visibility to the Italian language in the face of the struggles of non-Anglophone academics and help the latter to find a voice within the hegemony of English-language research, journals and journal rankings. This special issue recognizes the ability of language to transmit cultural and ideological values that would otherwise be overshadowed by the dominance of English-language literature. As part of the multilingualism of Critical Perspectives on Accounting, this opening to Italian is seen as a matter of equity, justice and reducing the power imbalance between English and other widely spoken languages. Nevertheless, linguistic barriers have not been the only impediment to the internationalization of Italian critical accounting scholarship for cultural barriers existed as well. The endogeneity of the Italian accounting philosophical stance, career incentives and a focus on eminently Italian concepts and methods have meant that, at least until the turn of the 21st century, academic production has been largely directed towards an Italian audience. Despite these challenges, the articles presented in this special issue confirm the richness of the Italian context and the ability of Italian scholars to contribute to international debates in critical accounting, both by adopting ‘international’ theories and methods and by remaining faithful to the ‘Economia Aziendale’ tradition.