Contextualising Entrepreneurship: A Call for More African Research

Abstract

Entrepreneurship is a prominent area of inquiry which is enriched by an ample literature base and challenged by definitional deficiencies. Over the years, multiple perspectives of entrepreneurship have emerged and a holistic approach to entrepreneurship has been proposed. This can facilitate the continued enlargement of the entrepreneurship field and allow for interdisciplinary research within the African region. This chapter contributes to the literature on entrepreneurship in developing economies by providing an extensive review of the various approaches that entrepreneurship has been conceptualised. Nine themes are explored: the great person, economic perspective, psychological perspective, sociological perspective, behavioural perspective, management, intrapreneurship, cognitive perspective and leadership perspective. This is followed by an examination of entrepreneurship as a process, as a new venture creation and as an art of opportunity recognition and exploitation. In the last section of this chapter, a clarion call is made for more African scholarship and research in the field of entrepreneurship.

Citation

Harrison, C. (2023), "Contextualising Entrepreneurship: A Call for More African Research", Harrison, C. and Omeihe, K.O. (Ed.) Contextualising African Studies: Challenges and the Way Forward (New Frontiers in African Business and Society), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 197-213. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-80455-338-120231010