Contextualizing the Canon: Sociohistorical Change and the Future of Entrepreneurship Research

In this paper, we examine canonical studies of entrepreneurship since the mid-19th century to learn how engagement with past societal challenges shaped the evolution of entrepreneurship research over time. Contextualizing the intellectual history of research on entrepreneurship, we identify three main periods, showing that scholarly engagement with past sociohistorical challenges are reflected in five aspects of the configuration of entrepreneurial knowledge: (1) the metahistorical narratives defining the value of studying entrepreneurship (why), (2) the dominant forms of entrepreneurial action and organizing (what), (3) the nature of entrepreneurial agents (who), (4) the places where entrepreneurship is understood to happen (where), and (5) the disciplinary configurations of entrepreneurship research (how). We discuss the implications of this history for the future of entrepreneurship research in our own time, suggesting ways that contemporary social challenges may be reflected in future entrepreneurship research. Our findings offer entrepreneurship scholars a roadmap to chart the field’s engagement with our current sociohistorical moment and to more deeply reflect on contemporary societal challenges.