Abstract
Purpose
This study examines how arts-based research interventions can “rewild” accountants’ mindsets, shifting them from anthropocentric to more ecologically conscious perspectives. Grounded in emancipatory accounting and rewilding literature, the research investigates whether and how creative performative interventions can embed post-anthropocentric values within professional accounting.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting an interpretive qualitative approach, the paper reports on a single case study, “Sent to Coventry!”, involving senior accountants from major UK professional bodies. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews (pre- and post-event, and two years on), audio and video documentation of the event, visual illustration, and reflective notes. Thematic analysis identified emergent themes.
Findings
The findings reveal three key factors supporting a rewilding of accounting mindsets: (1) the power of metaphors to foster conceptual shifts, (2) the power of creative and multisensory methods in challenging conventional thinking, and (3) the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for integrating sustainability and ecological considerations into accountants’ professional practices.
Originality/value
This research extends rewilding concepts into the accounting domain and illustrates how the approach and creativity of arts-based interventions can stimulate changes in ecological awareness, disrupt anthropocentric assumptions, and through its mindset impacts encourage innovative forms of accountability and integrative thinking.
Research limitations/implications
Limited by a single case study with a small, senior-level sample. Future longitudinal and multi-case research could better assess the sustained impact of arts-based interventions on accounting mindsets and practices.
This study examines how arts-based research interventions can “rewild” accountants’ mindsets, shifting them from anthropocentric to more ecologically conscious perspectives. Grounded in emancipatory accounting and rewilding literature, the research investigates whether and how creative performative interventions can embed post-anthropocentric values within professional accounting.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting an interpretive qualitative approach, the paper reports on a single case study, “Sent to Coventry!”, involving senior accountants from major UK professional bodies. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews (pre- and post-event, and two years on), audio and video documentation of the event, visual illustration, and reflective notes. Thematic analysis identified emergent themes.
Findings
The findings reveal three key factors supporting a rewilding of accounting mindsets: (1) the power of metaphors to foster conceptual shifts, (2) the power of creative and multisensory methods in challenging conventional thinking, and (3) the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration for integrating sustainability and ecological considerations into accountants’ professional practices.
Originality/value
This research extends rewilding concepts into the accounting domain and illustrates how the approach and creativity of arts-based interventions can stimulate changes in ecological awareness, disrupt anthropocentric assumptions, and through its mindset impacts encourage innovative forms of accountability and integrative thinking.
Research limitations/implications
Limited by a single case study with a small, senior-level sample. Future longitudinal and multi-case research could better assess the sustained impact of arts-based interventions on accounting mindsets and practices.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | (In-Press) |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal |
| Volume | (In-Press) |
| Early online date | 30 Jul 2026 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 30 Jul 2026 |
Bibliographical note
© Alessandro Merendino, Nicholas McGuigan, Maureen Meadows and Nick Henry. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/Funding
We gratefully acknowledge the support of the United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council Grant under City Change Through Culture: Securing the Place Legacy of Coventry City of Culture 2021. Grant number AH/W008769/1.
Keywords
- Accountability
- Rewilding
- Creative arts
- Metaphor
- Performativity
- Interdisciplinary
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