The Public Relations Practitioner as Cultural Intermediary
The public relations practitioner as cultural intermediary.
Author: Cornelis A. Coetzee
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Literature review 3
3. Theoretical approach 3
3.1 Theoretical perspective 3
3.2 Research approach 4
3.2.1 Interpretive approach 5
3.2.1.1 Hermeneutics as a metatheory 6
4. Postmodernism, globalization and culture in communication: a brief discussion 6
4.1 Postmodern communication 6
4.2 Globalization and communication 7
4.3 Multi-cultural communication 8
4.3.1 Culture and cultural identities 8
5. Conclusion 11
6. Recommendation 12
Bibliography 12
List of figures
Figure 1: Lull’s superculture 11
List of tables
Table 1: Functionalism, Conflict and Symbolic Interactionism Theories 3
Table 2: Hall’s high and low context culture 9 1. Introduction
Sir William L. Bragg said, “The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.” (http://www.quotelady.com/subjects/science.html). Although this quotation is open to much discussion, it seems appropriate when debating the topic of non-Western public relations practice in which the practitioner is acting as a cultural intermediary. This implicates that public relations as a science, and in practice, needs to re-examine its approach towards the publics (organizational and social) in which it functions.
But why? Is it merely the foundation for another approach to research the practice of public relations, or does it perhaps hold the core essence of public relations practice in a post-modern ideology?
The first and most obvious answer is globalization. The term globalization is simplified by Smith & Smith (2002:Online) as “a shorthand way of describing the spread and connectedness of production, communication and technologies across the world. That spread has involved the interlacing of economic and cultural activity”.
This brings the student to the second aspect to answer the questions posed,
Author: Cornelis A. Coetzee
Table of Contents
1. Introduction 2
2. Literature review 3
3. Theoretical approach 3
3.1 Theoretical perspective 3
3.2 Research approach 4
3.2.1 Interpretive approach 5
3.2.1.1 Hermeneutics as a metatheory 6
4. Postmodernism, globalization and culture in communication: a brief discussion 6
4.1 Postmodern communication 6
4.2 Globalization and communication 7
4.3 Multi-cultural communication 8
4.3.1 Culture and cultural identities 8
5. Conclusion 11
6. Recommendation 12
Bibliography 12
List of figures
Figure 1: Lull’s superculture 11
List of tables
Table 1: Functionalism, Conflict and Symbolic Interactionism Theories 3
Table 2: Hall’s high and low context culture 9 1. Introduction
Sir William L. Bragg said, “The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.” (http://www.quotelady.com/subjects/science.html). Although this quotation is open to much discussion, it seems appropriate when debating the topic of non-Western public relations practice in which the practitioner is acting as a cultural intermediary. This implicates that public relations as a science, and in practice, needs to re-examine its approach towards the publics (organizational and social) in which it functions.
But why? Is it merely the foundation for another approach to research the practice of public relations, or does it perhaps hold the core essence of public relations practice in a post-modern ideology?
The first and most obvious answer is globalization. The term globalization is simplified by Smith & Smith (2002:Online) as “a shorthand way of describing the spread and connectedness of production, communication and technologies across the world. That spread has involved the interlacing of economic and cultural activity”.
This brings the student to the second aspect to answer the questions posed,
Bibliography: BABBIE, E. & MOUTON, J. 2001. The practice of social research. South African ed. Cape Town: Oxford University Press. DE VOS, A.S., SCHULZE, S. & PATEL, L. 2005. The sciences and the professions. In: De Vos, A.S. (ed.) Research at grass roots: for the social sciences and human service professions. 3rd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik:3-26. FRIEDMAN, T.L. 2005. The world is flat - a brief history of the twenty-first century. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. GEORGE, A.M. 2003. Teaching culture: The challenges and opportunities of international public relations. Business communication quarterly, 66[Online]. Available from: www.questia.com. [Accessed: 01/06/08]. GUDYKUNST, W.B HANNERZ, U. 2001. Thinking about culture in a global ecumene. In: LULL, J. (ed.) Culture in the communication age. London: Routledge:54-71. IHATOR, A KAPPELMAN, T. 2001. Marshall McLuhan: “The Medium is the Message" [Online]. Available from: http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/mcluhan.html#text2. [Accessed: 06/08/2007]. LEARY, M.R. & MILLER, R.S. 2000. Self-presentational perspectives on personal relationships. In: Ickes, W. & Duck, W. (eds.) The social psychology of personal relationships. New York: Wiley:129-155. LULL, J. 2001. Superculture for the communication age. In: Lull, J. (ed.) Culture in the communication age. London: Routledge: 132-163. McCLELLAND, K. 2000. Introduction to theories [Online]. Available from: http://web.grinnell.edu/courses/soc/s00/soc111-01/IntroTheories.html NOLAN, R.W. 1999. Communicating and Adapting across Cultures: Living and Working in the Global Village [Online]. Available from: www.questia.com. Accessed: 20/06/2008. PAPASTEFANOU, N. 2008. Assignment 2: the public relations practitioner as cultural intermediary. Tshwane University of Technology: Pretoria. PAPASTEFANOU, N. 2007. Module 1: communication research and theory (CSC400T). Pretoria: Tshwane University of Technology. PAPASTEFANOU, N. 2008. Module 2: culture and related issues. Tshwane University of Technology: Pretoria. RAMPHELE, M. 2008. Laying ghosts to rest – dilemmas of the transformation in South Africa. Cape Town: Tafelberg. SAMOVAR, L.A., PORTER, R.E. & McDANIEL, E.R. 2007. Communication between cultures. 6th ed. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth. SMITH, M STEYN, E. 2002. Postmodernism. In: De Beer, A.S. (ed.) Mass media – towards the millennium. 2nd ed. Pretoria: Van Schaik:25-27.