07/10/2025
Call for Papers
The International History of Public Relations Conference
June 22-23 2026
Bournemouth University, UK
Faculty of Media & Communication
Academics, practitioners and research students are invited to submit competitive abstracts for presentation at the 14th International History of Public Relations Conference (IHPRC) which will again be held at Bournemouth University.
Since 2010, IHPRC has been the premier international conference addressing the history of public relations and related disciplines. It has attracted papers from around the world and led to a major expansion of publishing on the public relations history field in academic journals and research books.
Conference themes
Among the themes IHPRC continues to promote are:
• The history of public relations and its developing or diverging relationships with other disciplines such as marketing, HR, legal and corporate governance
• The historiography of public relations and the application of historical theories and interpretations to the history of PR; alternative and unheard histories and herstories; archaeological methodologies and theoretical analyses
• Seminal personalities or events that shaped the formation of public relations as a discipline (This can also include challenges to the “Great Man” or “Great Woman” approach)
• History of the PR/Communication departments of organisations (companies, associations, political organisations, NGOs, etc.)
• History of PR instruments (press releases, press conferences, campaigns, social media, etc.)
• Alternative approaches to the history of public relations, e.g. on the basis of culture (personal networks and influence) or via definitions of public relations
• The evolving naming of the field from propaganda and press agentry to corporate and strategic communications
• The evolution of public relations in nations, government and industry
• The history of public relations in specific sectors (for example, consultancy, education, health, and politics)
• The public relations of dissent and activism; historical analysis of public relations in activist and non-profit campaigns
• The evolution of public relations theory(ies) over time; the history of schools of thinking in public relations
• The formation of industry and professional bodies and their impact on public relations practice and education; professionalisation of public relations
• The ethics of public relations and its discussion over time
• Oral histories of public relations; discussion of this methodology
Papers for presentation at IHPRC 2026 will be selected, after peer review, on the basis of abstracts. Authors are invited to submit a single Word document. The first page of the word document should include the title of the paper, author(s) name(s) and affiliations. Page two onwards will include the abstract. The abstract will be of no more than two pages total length, including references. The abstract should express the purpose, methodology, findings and implications of the research. Author and affiliation details are to be presented only in first page and should not be identified in the abstract.
Abstracts must be presented in Word format, 12-point font size, single spacing with a 1-inch (25mm) margin on A4 page size. Submissions and enquiries should go to [email protected].
Information on conference registration and conference hotels follows.
Given that the IHPRC will be taking place as from now on biennially (ie every second year rather than every year) the conference will be held in person rather than any other format. Registration fees are: £250 standard and £150 for students.
Submissions – Deadline for consideration: 16 February 2026.
We look forward to welcoming PR scholars to Bournemouth in June 2026.
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