IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/acbsfi/v26y2016i2p131-160.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Educating in economic calculus: the invention of the enlightened peasant via manuals of agriculture, 1830--1870

Author

Listed:
  • Nathalie Joly

Abstract

This study is concerned with the process of the economic normalisation of agriculture in nineteenth-century France. The manuals published for rural inhabitants and for use in primary schools between 1830 and 1870 are presented as a means of analysing attempts at economic rationalisation which were underway during this period, in particular as it would affect the peasantry. Drawing attention to the content of agricultural, the study sheds light on the educational forms in which economic precepts and accounting techniques were presented and the manner in which those techniques were employed to promote ‘best practices’, so as to tentatively orient farm management and the farmer’s decisions. It highlights the social work of ideological production and behavioural guidance that unfolded in the first part of the nineteenth century. Our research emphasises the ethics embodied in these agricultural manuals, ethics that were directed towards a greater focus on profit maximisation on the part of the small- and medium-scale peasantry in tandem with an idea of disciplined and prudent personal and professional conduct.

Suggested Citation

  • Nathalie Joly, 2016. "Educating in economic calculus: the invention of the enlightened peasant via manuals of agriculture, 1830--1870," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 131-160, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:acbsfi:v:26:y:2016:i:2:p:131-160
    DOI: 10.1080/21552851.2016.1187639
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/21552851.2016.1187639
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/21552851.2016.1187639?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bryer, R. A., 2005. "A Marxist accounting history of the British industrial revolution: a review of evidence and suggestions for research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 25-65, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zbyslaw Dobrowolski & Grzegorz Drozdowski & Monika Dobrowolska & Janusz Sobon & Dariusz Sobon, 2021. "Economic Calculus and Weak Signals: Prevention Against Foggy Bottom," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(2), pages 165-174.
    2. Giraudeau, Martin, 2017. "The farm as an accounting laboratory: an essay on the history of accounting and agriculture," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 74106, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. Grzegorz Drozdowski, 2021. "Economic Calculus Qua an Instrument to Support Sustainable Development under Increasing Risk," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Spies-Butcher, Ben & Bryant, Gareth, 2024. "The history and future of the tax state: Possibilities for a new fiscal politics beyond neoliberalism," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    2. A. J. ARNOLD & S. McCARTNEY, 2011. "‘Veritable gold mines before the arrival of railway competition’: but did dividends signal rates of return in the English canal industry?," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 64(1), pages 214-236, February.
    3. Toms, Steven & Fleischman, Richard K., 2015. "Accounting fundamentals and accounting change: Boulton & Watt and the Springfield Armory," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 1-20.
    4. A.J. Arnold & S. McCartney, 2008. "The transition to financial capitalism and its implications for financial reporting," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(8), pages 1185-1209, October.
    5. Stergiou, Konstantinos & Ashraf, Junaid & Uddin, Shahzad, 2013. "The role of structure and agency in management accounting control change of a family owned firm: A Greek case study," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 62-73.
    6. Malcolm Anderson, 2006. "Accounting History Publications 2005," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 457-462.
    7. Suzuki, Tomo, 2007. "Accountics: Impacts of internationally standardized accounting on the Japanese socio-economy," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 32(3), pages 263-301, April.
    8. Bryer, Rob, 2012. "Americanism and financial accounting theory – Part 1: Was America born capitalist?," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 23(7), pages 511-555.
    9. Charl de Villiers & Matteo La Torre & Vida Botes, 2022. "Accounting and social capital: A review and reflections on future research opportunities," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(4), pages 4485-4521, December.
    10. Richard, Jacques, 2015. "The dangerous dynamics of modern capitalism (from static to IFRS’ futuristic accounting)," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 9-34.
    11. Mihret, Dessalegn Getie, 2014. "How can we explain internal auditing? The inadequacy of agency theory and a labor process alternative," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(8), pages 771-782.
    12. Bryer, Alice Rose, 2014. "Conscious practices and purposive action: A qualitative study of accounting and social change," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 93-103.
    13. Constable, Philip & Kuasirikun, Nooch, 2020. "From cosmological to commercial form: A Buddhist theory of ‘form’, ‘space’ and ‘stream of re-becoming’ in mid-19th century Thai accounting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    14. James, Kieran, 2008. "A Critical Theory and Postmodernist approach to the teaching of accounting theory," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 643-676.
    15. Parfitt, Claire, 2024. "A foundation for ‘ethical capital’: The Sustainability Accounting Standards Board and Integrated Reporting," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    16. Tyson, Thomas N. & Oldroyd, David & Fleischman, Richard K., 2013. "Was America born capitalist? A counter view," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(4), pages 379-396.
    17. Toms, Steven & Shepherd, Alice, 2013. "Creative accounting in the British Industrial Revolution: Cotton manufacturers and the ‘Ten Hours’ Movement," MPRA Paper 51478, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    18. Napier, Christopher J., 2006. "Accounts of change: 30 years of historical accounting research," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(4-5), pages 445-507.
    19. James, Kieran, 2008. "A Critical Theory perspective on the pressures, contradictions and dilemmas faced by entry-level accounting academics," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 19(8), pages 1263-1295.
    20. Toms, J.S., 2010. "Calculating profit: A historical perspective on the development of capitalism," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 205-221, February.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:acbsfi:v:26:y:2016:i:2:p:131-160. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RABF21 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.