Introduction

Histories of public relations (PR) typically displayed a number of common intersecting and mutually reinforcing features: a tendency toward ‘periodisation,’ a preoccupation with ‘managerialism’ in the corporate/business sector, US-centrism and a concern to ignore or re-label practices considered questionable or unethical. The advent of the annual International History of PR Conference in 2010 has prompted a more international and diverse expansion of accounts of PR histories and herstories appearing in book form and as journal articles. PR textbooks have tended to cast the development of the profession as a progression towards increasing sophistication, organisation and professionalisation. M. O. Lamme and K. M. Russell make the important point that even as interest in the Four Models paradigm waned as an accurate representation of PR practice, ‘the models became ingrained in PR historiography, and they have continued to influence historical scholarship in the field.’ The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.