Let's get dangerous: A Review of Current Public Relations Historical Scholarship.

Abstract

In this paper, the “state of play” in the history of public relations field is reviewed. It reflects on papers and keynote addresses delivered at the International History of Public Relations Conference (IHPRC), which was first held in 2010, and journal articles. Using these, recent scholarship and historiography are analysed. The field is starting to move gradually from an initial eclectic, often descriptive, approach towards a more researched and sometimes critical approach. This will gradually change the nature of the conference and of subsequent outcomes of publications in academic article and book form. The paper calls for a more critical approach to scholarship and away from culturally inappropriate models of practice.