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International Small Business Journal
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Entrepreneurial Action, Identity Work and the Use of Multiple Discursive Resources

The Case of a Rapidly Changing Family Business

Tony J. Watson

Nottingham University, UK, tony.watson{at}nottingham.ac.uk

Research is increasingly questioning the way in which the notion of entrepreneurial self or entrepreneurial identity was initially used to throw light on the connection between the variety of relevant discourses that exist in contemporary societies and the everyday actions of entrepreneurial actors.To take this trend further, two developments are made. First, the concept of identity is refined by identifying two intertwined aspects: a self-identity aspect and a discourse-related social identities aspect. Both the `self' and the `social' aspects of entrepreneurs' identity work are influenced by discourses existing in the society around them. Second, existing empirical research is supplemented by a very close focus on individuals in a specific entrepreneurial context.A case study is presented in which we see two principle figures in a growing family firm being influenced by, making use of and contesting a variety of discursive resources. This fine-grained analysis of entrepreneurially related identity work in practice shows how people in entrepreneurial contexts use discursive resources in a negotiated, shifting, creative and nuanced but often ambiguous manner. These discursive resources include but go beyond notions from `entrepreneurial' discourses.

Key Words: ethnography • entrepreneurial selves • entrepreneurship discourse • family business • identity work • narrative

International Small Business Journal, Vol. 27, No. 3, 251-274 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0266242609102274
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