International Public Relations ─ Perspectives from Deeply Divided Societies

Most studies of public relations focus on the activity as it is practiced within ‘normal’ liberal democratic societies, especially within the US, which arguably has had a hegemonic influence on attempts within the academy to theorize public relations. It also raises the question of whether PR has an application to the many countries which are outside of?these norms, in societies divided along racial, ethnic, religious or linguistic lines. Furthermore, it highlights the role of public relations in building peace, resolving conflicts, and assisting the development of civil society.

Presenting a range of original empirical research, this collection features studies from conflict societies (Chechnya, Nigeria, Israel/Palestine, Iraq); post-conflict societies (Bosnia, Kosovo, Northern Ireland, South Africa, Uganda); and societies still deeply divided along, racial, religious, ethnic and linguistic lines (Switzerland, Malaysia, Spain, Belgium).

It will therefore be of interest not only to scholars of public relations but also political science, international relations, and peace and conflict studies.

Ian Somerville PhD. is a senior lecturer in the School of Communication and a member of the Institute for Research in Social Sciences at the University of Ulster. Current research interests are in the political public relations, terrorism and public relations, public relations pedagogy and sport, communication and social exclusion. His work has been published in Public Relations Review, Public Relations Inquiry, Journal of Communication Management, Corporate Communication: An International Journal and in various edited collections. Along with Gisela Concalves and Ana Melo he is editor of Organisational and Strategic Communication Research: European Perspectives (2013). He is a member of the editorial board of Public Relations Review and Public Relations Inquiry. In 2012 he was elected Vice-Chair of the ‘Organizational and Strategic Communication’ Section of the European Communication Research and Education Association.

Professor Owen Hargie, PhD. is Professor of Communication at the University of Ulster. He has published 20 books, including The Handbook of Communication Skills (Routledge); Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory and Practice (Routledge); Researching The Troubles: Social Science Perspectives on the Northern Ireland Conflict (Mainstream); Key Issues in Organizational Communication (Routledge); Communication Skills for Effective Management (Palgrave Macmillan); Auditing Organizational Communication: A Handbook of Research, Theory and Practice (Routledge); Communication in Management (Gower); Professional Interviewing (Routledge); Communication Skills Training for Health Professionals (Chapman & Hall). He has also published over 120 book chapters and journal articles. He is also on the Editorial Board of a range of Journals.

Professor Maureen Taylor, Ph.D. is Professor and Gaylord Family Chair of Strategic Communication in the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Oklahoma. Taylor’s research interest is in international public relations, nation building and civil society campaigns, and new communication technologies. Her work has appeared in Journal of Public Relations Research, Public Relations Review, Communication Monographs, Human Communication Research, Journal of Communication, Management Communication Quarterly, Gazette, Voluntas and the Atlantic Journal of Communication. She is a member of the editorial board of a range of academic journals and is a frequent guest editor of Public Relations Review.

Margarlit Toledano, Ph.D. APR, Fellow PRSA, PRiNZ, is currently a senior lecturer in the Management Communication Department of the Waikato Management School in New Zealand. She has been accepted as a member of the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) in 2007 and a member of the College of Fellows of the New Zealand Institute of PR (PRiNZ) in 2012. She serves as co-chair of the PRSA Educational Affairs Committee (CEPR). She has co-authored the book Public relations and nation building: Influencing Israel (Routledge, 2013) with Professor David McKie. She is a member of the editorial board of Public Relations Inquiry and Public Relations Review in which she has also published a number of articles.