Moral economy, performative materialism, and political rhetorics of sustainability accounting
Abstract
Using the concepts of ‘moral economy’ and ‘performative materialism’ in a case study of a Sri Lankan bank that has received awards and commendations for its sustainability reports, this study explores and theorises moral contradictions of how sustainability is enacted in a corporate setting. Its specific empirical observation reveals how enacting sustainability involves four key elements: redefining corporate morality, mattering morality, objectifying morality through accountability, and valorising morality in a moral market. While attaching a new morality to corporate profits, these elements enable greenwashing to get institutionalised as a celebrated and rewarded business practice. This research contributes to critical accounting studies by empirically explaining how a new set of moral practices, objects, and markets are constructed in the name of sustainability reporting and by illustrating how the theoretical notions of moral economy and performative materialism can shed light on critiquing the ways sustainability reporting regimes are constructed.
Citation
Alawattage , C , Jayathileka , C , Hitibandara , R & Withanage , S 2023 , ' Moral economy, performative materialism, and political rhetorics of sustainability accounting ' , Critical Perspectives on Accounting , vol. 95 , 102507 . https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpa.2022.102507
Publication
Critical Perspectives on Accounting
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1045-2354Type
Journal article
Rights
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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