In this editor’s essay, Dr. Bey-Ling Sha discusses the intersection of public relations and identity.
Dr. Sha reviews identity research in public relations as a whole, the identity of public relations, the direction for public relations theory and research regarding identity, and how identity influences internal publics.
Key themes include:
- Past literature has stated that identity is dynamic and evolving (Hall, 1994; Ciszek, 2018). Public relations is in the midst of the challenge of fluid identities, “positioned to interrogate the subjectivities and intersectionalities of organizational publics and organizations themselves.”
- Identities of immigrant professionals change through processes of stress and adaptation.
- Scholars introduced the concept of “intercultural identity,” an identity that spans different cultures.
- In this same way, organizational identity may be influenced and changed by stressors and new contexts.
Read more to learn about identity research in public relations and what it means for the industry.
Citation
Sha, B. (2018). Editor’s essay: Identity and/in/of public relations. Journal of Public Relations Research, 30(4), 129-133. doi:10.1080/1062726x.2018.1534339
