Public relations and historical sociology: Historiography as reflexive critique

• Historiographical issues in relation to public relations historical research and thinking.
• Draws on historical sociology, historical theory, social theory, political theory, and political science concepts.
• Critiques ‘model’ approaches to public relations historiography.

The essay focuses on thinking about thinking about PR history. The space between history and sociology encompasses theoretical and conceptual frames and can be drawn upon to consider PR in time, across times and between times. It reflects upon the purposes and practices of historical sociology and foregrounds themes relevant to public relations, its histories and methodological approaches. The paper, which is methodological at the strategic rather than the technical level, argues that public relations historians can usefully engage with theoretical issues and problems delineated in historical sociology and historical theory. Evolutionary, functionalist and typological approaches and the cultural logics of historical periodization are discussed and contextualized.