Beyond the pages of the ‘how-to’ textbook: A study of the lived experiences of the accounting ethnographer

The future of the interdisciplinary accounting research movement relies on the well-being of both the research and the researcher. In this article, we focus on the latter. We use the metaphor of the Myth of Sisyphus alongside Albert Camus’ re-conceptualization of him as the Absurd hero to make sense of the lived experiences of the accounting ethnographer. Drawing on interview data with experienced ethnographic scholars, we push beyond the pages of the ‘how-to’ textbook, describing and discussing the emotional challenges of engaging in accounting ethnography. As with Sisyphus’ task, there is an impossibility to the accounting ethnographer’s mission. The researcher will never ascertain a total understanding of the accounting phenomenon of interest. Either the boulder is too heavy, or the hill is too steep, or both. However, we show how the researcher revolts – in Camus’ sense of the word – against these challenges, ultimately finding professional and personal meaning from the work. We discuss the implications of our findings, providing some recommendations for the well-being of the interdisciplinary accounting project and the interdisciplinary accounting researcher.