Making history: Reflections on memory and elite interviews in public relations research. (May 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Fitch, Kate
• Is Part Of: Public relations inquiry. Volume 4:Number 2(2015:May)
• Page Start: 131
• Page End: 144
• Publication Date: 2015-05
• Subjects: Australia -- historiography -- history -- interview -- memory; Public relations -- Periodicals; 659.205
• DOI: 10.1177/2046147X15580684
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2046-147X

Abstract

Drawing on research into recent Australian public relations history, this article reflects on the significance of memory for historical research. The personal testimony of senior practitioners is perceived to offer authentic insights into the development of public relations. Given the lack of alternate evidence, retrospective accounts such as those narrated in memoirs and interviews have become the de facto history of public relations. The findings indicate that these narratives can be meaningful but point to the need for public relations researchers to adopt a critical approach to historical research, recognising the subjectivity and retrospectivity of personal accounts and the ways in which widely accepted industry narratives and professional networks constrain and structure those accounts. The significance of this study is that it offers evidence of how certain discourses of Australian public relations continue to inform contemporary understandings of its development and limit alternative perspectives.