The development of accounting profession in Brazil (1946-)

Although there is evidence that the presence of the earliest Portuguese accountants in Brazil can be dated to 1549, the earliest official recognition of an association of bookeepers in this ex-Portuguese colony can be dated to 1850. In the case of the British Empire, accountancy emerged as a profession in the late nineteenth-century and this model of professionalism was initially transported to the settler-colonies of this Empire, America, Canada and Australia. In the case of the Portuguese Empire, the development of professional accounting followed a very different trajectory. Here too, there is evidence of the transfer of accounting technology across international borders. However, in Portuguese colonies, such as Brazil, the professionalism of accountancy does not manifest itself until the mid twentieth century.Drawing on archival based research conducted in both Portugal and Brazil, this study sets out to examine the role of accountancy as a means of control in this ex-colony. In doing so, it also draws attention to the social, political and economic forces that gave rise to differences in the development of accountancy within the contextual settings of these two Empires. Since much of the prior literature pertains to the professionalism of accountancy within Britain and her ex-colonies, with perhaps the exception of the recent work of Dyball et al., this study seeks to contribute to this growing field by focusing on the case of Brazil, a Portuguese ex-colony.Emerging as the product of government initiatives, the first accounting body in Brazil was created in 1946, the Conselho Regional de Contabilidade de Rio de Janeiro (CRC/RJ). Ensuing events crystallized within legislation the functions of accounting professionals and drew attention to issues of their perceived status. The study sets out to investigate the internal and external forces that transformed the modus operandi of accountants in this country