ABSTRACT The aim of this article is to discuss the early academic career experiences of accounting teacher-researchers belonging to Generations Y and Z in the light of Liquid Modernity. Accounting careers have been studied from a biological, linear and traditional perspective. This study extends this view by placing it in a non-linear perspective for subjects belonging to Generations Y and Z, immersed in Liquid Modernity. This investigation, therefore, represents a contemporary research approach and allows the construction of explanations for the transformation of the social landscape of a profession. Changes in the configuration of a profession occur through contextual changes. In this process, the liquidity discussed by Bauman (2001) makes it possible to explain the scope and evolution of the public and private lives of individuals belonging to Generations Y and Z at the beginning of their academic careers in accounting, in terms of the construction of their professional trajectories and their projects in socio-academic spaces. The research presents a systematization of elements of Liquid Modernity to explain the academic career in accounting from a non-linear perspective. It also provides the practical field with an explicit mapping of the activities to be practiced in an academic career in accounting and the position of Generations Y and Z in relation to them. The research is qualitative and is based on semi-structured interviews with 16 teachers belonging to Generations Y and Z. After the interviews were conducted, they were transcribed and processed using the template analysis technique to build evidence. The experiences of Generations Y and Z at the beginning of their academic careers in accounting present explanations inscribed in Liquid Modernity. The results show that the experiences are supported by the interpersonal, demographic and professional teaching dimensions.
Lopes et al. (Wed,) studied this question.