Within the ‘knowledge economy’ the professions (traditionally defined as accountancy, architecture, law and medicine) and professionals are important forces, wielding great influence on both private and public matters; after all, they ‘heal our bodies, measure our profits and save our souls’ (Abbott, 1988). During the last twenty years the ‘professions’ have experienced significant and controversial changes, not least because of trends such as: globalization, liberalization, developments in IT and the colonisation of the title professional by new groups.


These changes have so far received limited disciplinary and especially inter-disciplinary attention. This series, which comprises of 4 events, aims to rectify this by promoting a broad and inclusive debate on recent changes to the contemporary professions and developing policy orientated findings in relation to the role of the ‘professions’, ‘professionals’ and ‘professionalism’ in contemporary society