CALL FOR PAPERS: THE INTERNATIONAL HISTORY OF PUBLIC RELATIONS CONFERENCE

6-7 July 2011

Organised by the Centre for Public Communication Research (CPCR) at The Media School, Bournemouth University, Poole, England

Academics, practitioners and research students are invited to submit competitive abstracts and papers for presentation at The International History of Public Relations Conference (IHPRC) to be held on 6-7 July 2011 at Bournemouth University.

The first IHPRC was held in July this year and attracted more than 80 delegates from 13 countries to hear two keynote speakers and 34 refereed papers over two days. The conference was considered by all to be very successful – and an important development in public relations scholarship. More details, including the keynote presentations, are available at http://historyofpr.com.

Papers for presentation at the 2011 conference will be selected, after peer review, on the basis of abstracts, of no more than two pages total length, including any references. Author details are to be printed on a separate sheet and the author(s) should not be identified in the abstract. Abstracts must be presented in Word format, in 1.5 line spacing and 12 point font size.

Manuscripts of the selected papers are to be submitted with Harvard referencing and according to the Journal of Communication Management editorial style found at: http://info.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/author_guidelines.htm?id=jcom. The manuscript of 3000 to 6000 words, plus references, must be presented in Word format, in 1.5 line spacing and 12 point font size.

Deadlines
•    Submission of abstracts: Monday, December 6, 2010
•    Acceptance notification (by email): Monday, January 24, 2011
•    Submission of selected papers: Monday, June 6, 2011

All accepted abstracts will be published online prior to the conference programme. Papers selected for the Conference will be published in the IHPRC Proceedings.

Conference Themes
As this is the second international conference on the History of Public Relations, the range of conference themes has remained broad and those listed below are the starting point for consideration, rather than a finite list.

•    Public relations in history before it became a named or defined discipline
•    Alternative approaches to the history of public relations, e.g. on the basis of culture (personal networks and influence) or via definitions of public relations
•    The evolving naming of the field from propaganda and press agentry to corporate communications
•    The history of public relations and its developing or diverging relationships with other disciplines like marketing, HR, legal and corporate governance
•    The evolution of public relations in nations or parts of government or industry
•    Seminal personalities or events that shaped the formation of public relations as a discipline (This can also include challenges to the “Great Man” or “Great Woman” approach)
•    Key books or articles (or series of both) that have influenced public relations
•    The history of political public relations and lobbying
•    The history of public relations education
•    The evolution of public relations theory(ies) over time – from propaganda to dialogue; the history of schools of thinking in public relations
•    Formative influences on public relations theory and practice, such as in or by government, industry or consultancy
•    The formation of industry and professional bodies and their impact, over time, on public relations practice and education
•    The evolution of public relations education, training and continuing professional development
•    The impact of technology, over time, upon public relations practice and theory
•    Archival sources for the history of public relations
•    The theories and processes of researching the history of public relations
•    Oral histories of public relations; the role of this methodology

Papers are especially welcomed from scholars in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Please send abstracts to Prof Tom Watson, Conference Chair, The Media School, Bournemouth University, email: prhistory@bournemouth.ac.uk.

The Conference Venue
As in 2010, the conference will be held at Bournemouth University’s Executive Business Centre. Conference Registration will be arranged through http://historyofpr.com with details of tickets to be announced shortly.