The history of PR has received limited attention over the years, and especially the role of women in PR has been an ‘untold’ story thus far. This book is the first attempt, following research presented at the International History of Public Relations Conference, to shed light on the significant role that female pioneers have played in the evolution of PR.
This book explores the field in a way that will offer insight of the significance that women had in the evolution of PR, with diverse chapters that provide rich perspectives on women’s contributions to PR throughout the years and across the globe. It opens with an overview of women in public relations. Later chapters focus on the case of Turkey, which seems to have a rich history of women in public relations, then on specific cases from Oceania (Australia), Europe (Spain), Asia (Malaysia and Thailand) and America (United States). The final chapter deals with the case of Inez Kaiser, who was the first African- American women to open a US public relations agency.
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. Practitioners will also find the book extremely relevant for training, short courses and professional practice.
Introduction
Anastasios Theofilou
1 Re-examining the existence of the "velvet ghetto" and the "glass ceiling": examining the status of American women in public relations a generation later
Donald k. Wright
2 Women in public relations: a thematic analysis of ECM data (2009–2019)
Martina Topić and Ralph Tench
3 ‘Signum authenticum’ of women: herstories in Turkey’s public relations during the early years
Melike Aktaş, G. Senem Gençtürk Hizal and B. Pinar Özdemir
4 Professional standards of PR in three decades through the lenses of Turkish women presidents of IPRA Pelin Hürmeriç and A. Banu Biçakçi
5 Betty Stewart, Orientalism and Oriental Cavalcade: entertainment public relations in late 1950s Australia
Kate Fitch
6 The militant documentary films of Helena Lumbreras as dissent and protest public relations
Isadora Guardia, Carolina Martínez and Jordi Xifra
7 A ‘herstory’ of Malaysian public relations: Paddy Schubert, Malaysia’s women PR pioneer
Rizwanah Souket
8 The Loi Krathong festival and Nang Noppamas: Applying current ‘PR’ theory to identify the first Thai female PR practitioner
Parichart Sthapitanonda
9 Inez Kaiser: the perseverance of a public relations pioneer
Denise Hill and Shelley Spector
Conclusions
Anastasios Theofilou
Biography
Anastasios Theofilou is Principal Academic in Public Relations at the Faculty of Media and Communication, at Bournemouth University, UK. He holds a BA in Political Science and Public Administration, specializing in International Relations, awarded by the University of Athens, an MBA awarded by the National Technical University of Athens and the Athens University of Economics and Business, and finally a PhD awarded by the Athens University of Economics and Business.
"Despite it being a predominantly female profession, the books chronicalling the history the of public relations are populated by stories of ‘great men’. Women are almost invisible. But slowly things are changing. More women are not only being appointed at the highest levels, but finally they are escaping the shadow of great men. Their stories are both beacons of achievement and a measure of professional and social progress. This book marks an important moment for the profession. For the first time a collection of her-stories have made it to the light of day: it’s a shame, literally, that it has taken until 2020 to do so. This collection gathers together crucial and unique insights into the lives of some of those great women and the lessons that can be learned from them. It also maps the progress of emerging from the shadow over the last few years. It’s a crucial contribution to our history and every thinking practitioner and grateful academic should have it." - Professor Anne Gregory, University of Huddersfield, UK
