Public Relations in Times of Dissensus

Nyhet

Narratives, Artifacts, and the Challenges of Meaning

Inbunden, Engelska, 2026

Av Saima Kazmi, Joshua Foust, Burton St. John III, Burton St John Iii

1 729 kr

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Public relations are entering an era marked by increasing societal dissensus, where shared narratives are breaking down and contentious communication defines the public sphere. This edited volume argues that public relations must move beyond consensus-seeking models to engage with dissent as a critical feature of modern communication. The traditional public relations approaches that pursue collective agreement are increasingly out of step with the contemporary dynamics shaped by political polarization, digital framing, and postmodern challenges to metanarratives. Instead of fighting against the grain, contributors explore how public relations can evolve to effectively function amid conflict, contradiction, and competing values. Various case studies and critical analyses including non-profit organizations, government crisis communication, corporate social advocacy, global diplomacy, and historical movements provide interdisciplinary insights into how public relations can strategically navigate dissents. By repositioning dissensus as a productive condition that requires engagement, this book invites scholars and practitioners to reconsider public relations as a field shaped not solely by consensus but by contestation, complexity, and plurality. As such, this volume offers a timely reevaluation of the public relations field’s foundation and future trajectory in a complex world by engaging with dissensus as a site of ethical and strategic potential.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum2026-04-16
Mått152 x 229 x 25 mm
Vikt454 g
FormatInbunden
SpråkEngelska
Antal sidor304
FörlagBloomsbury Publishing Plc
ISBN9781666967760

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PrefaceIntroductionPart I: Non-Profit, Pedagogy and Civic Engagement1. Harmonizing Dissensus: An Exploration of Public Relations Strategies in Nonprofit Organizations Advancing Racial EqualityPascale Caidor (Université de Montréal, Canada)2. Navigating Dissensus Beyond Core Purpose: Mapping Potential Societal Contributions for Nonprofit Public RelationsVirginia S. Harrison (Penn State University, USA) and Luke Capizzo (Michigan State University, USA)3. Is It Easier for a Fire than a Flood? Navigating Dissensus in Crisis and Centering Information Subsidies During Natural DisastersMildred F. "Mimi" Perreault (University of South Florida, USA) and Luke Capizzo 4. The Role of Student-Run Communications Agencies in Shaping Public Relations in the Face of DissensusAdrienne A. Wallace (Grand Valley State University, USA), Jeffrey Ranta (Coastal Carolina University, USA), Shana Meganck (James Madison University, USA), and Harold (Hal) Vincent (Elon University, USA) Part II: Corporate and Mediated Dissent5. Corporate Response to Social Movements: The Role of Activism in Shaping Corporate Social Responsibility and Advocacy in Public RelationsTeresa Tackett (University of Arkansas, USA)6. Meat the Environmental Stewards – JBS’s Shifting Net-Zero Narrative Amid Greenwashing Accusations Saima Kazmi (University of Oregon, USA) and Burton St. John III (University of Colorado Boulder, USA)7. Dissensus in Metanarratives about Wealth in the United States: A Case Study of the OceanGate CrisisVictoria McDermott (University of Alaska Troth Yeddha', USA), Olivia Truban (University of Alaska Fairbanks Troth Yeddha’ and Northern Virginia Community College, USA), and Tobias Reynolds-Tylus (James Madison University, USA)8. Troll of Duty: Masculinity, Gaming, and Queer Public Relations Joshua Foust (Syracuse University, USA)9. Ethics and Corporate Political Engagement: The Case of California’s Prop 22Caryn E. Medved (City University of New York, USA)Part III: Cultural, Global, and Historic Perspectives 10. Corporate Social Advocacy in Divided Societies: Navigating Ethical Quandaries and Legitimacy ChallengesTaeyoung Kim (Loyola University Chicago, USA) 11. Transparency and Trust in Times of Dissensus: What Chileans Mean When They Demand Organizational Transparency as a Trustworthiness AttributePaulina Bravo-Maggi (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile) and Claudia Labarca (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile)12. Public Diplomacy Practices through the Cultural-Economic Model of Public RelationsTugce Ertem-Eray (North Carolina State University, USA)13. PR in a Time of Dissent: Political PR of the Croatian People’s Movement in the 19th Century DalmatiaMartina Topic-Rutherford (University of Alabama, USA)Notes on ContributorsBibliography Index

Public Relations in Times of Dissensus is a timely call for the field to move beyond its entrenched consensus bias and embrace dissensus as a defining feature of today’s public sphere. The editors and contributors show – through cases spanning nonprofits to public diplomacy – that recognizing the legitimacy of opposing views and the democratic value of passion can make public relations more ethical, adaptive, and relevant in an era of deep societal contestation.