Histories of Political Public Relations (The History of Public Relations)

Despite strong arguments that have been exploring the influence of Public Relations (PR) on public information, propaganda, the development of nation branding and policy-making, there remains little research on the history of governmental PR. This has led to a limited understanding of the discipline that aligns it with a supportive role to wider marketing campaigns or with a stretch to political communication through lobbying.

Responding to this challenge, this book explores PR’s historical connection to government communication. The editors assemble respected contributors to explore government PR through a series of micro-histories and also examine larger theoretical issues, including the relationship between PR and propaganda. The chapters explore behavioural aspects of government campaigning and the tools and techniques typically used. In the context of COVID-19 and global resistance to measures, while health and climate scientists warn that there might be more pandemics to come, looking at behavioural campaigning becomes even more relevant.

This book will add knowledge and understanding to the fields of PR history and historiography. Academics and researchers will find the volume appropriate for research and teaching.

Anastasios Theofilou is Principal Academic in Public Relations at the Faculty of Media and Communication at Bournemouth University, UK. His research interests expand on all aspects of organisational communication, including crisis management, CSR, sponsorship and the history of public relations. Anastasios is External Examiner for the Charted Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) and Chair of the International History of Public Relations Conference (IHPRC).

Martina Topić is Behavioural Sociologist and Mass Communication Scholar. Currently, she is Associate Professor of public relations leadership at the University of Alabama, College of Communication and Information Sciences, Department of Advertising and PR, US (10/2023). She is Editor-in-Chief of the Corporate Communications: An International Journal and Northern Lights journals and editor-in-chief of the book series, Women, Economics and the Labour Relations (Emerald). She is an author of Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Affairs in the British Press: An Ecofeminist Critique of Neoliberalism (Routledge, 2021) and Workplace Culture in Mass Communication Industries (Routledge, 2023).