22374: Critical Trends in Entrepreneurship: Taking the Next Steps in the Research Agenda

Abstract Over the past two decades, Critical Entrepreneurship Studies (CES) have emerged at the intersection of organization and entrepreneurship studies, gradually gaining influence. CES scholars often challenge the tendency to elevate entrepreneurship as an inherently positive force that is invariably beneficial for individuals, organizations, and societies. Instead, they argue that, like any social phenomenon, entrepreneurship may have “darker” dimensions. These critiques are typically concerned with the epistemological and ideological assumptions in the mainstream (often positivist) entrepreneurship literature, where the dominant narrative often centers on a Western, masculine ideal of the entrepreneur. Furthermore, an exclusive focus on monetary value risks narrowing the field, particularly when the aim is to explore how entrepreneurship transforms societies, organizations, and individuals. In this PDW we bring three scholars - each of whom is contributing to the upcoming handbook Critical Entrepreneurship Studies (published by Edward Elgar, to be launched in Spring 2026) - to share their perspectives. Building on their talks, which focus on Women, Gender, and Entrepreneurship, ‘Critique Nouvelle’, and ‘Epistemic Disobedience’, we hope to inspire the audience to think critically and, in doing so, uncover novel and thought-provoking questions that can push the research field to the next steps in formulating a CES agenda. The ambition of the workshop is thus to bring together a broad range of researchers (both those already acquainted with CES and those curious about what CES may mean for the study of entrepreneurship) to collaboratively develop a forward-looking research agenda.