Activists as pioneers in PR: historical frameworks and the suffragette movement

This chapter examines some of the ways public relations (PR) academics have sought to chart the historical development of PR, and to consider the relevance of those approaches for charting the historical development of protest PR. Many considerations of the historical
development of PR assume a corporate subject and overlook non-profit actors such as charities, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs), trades unions and social movements. One impact of this is to privilege the role of PR in supporting organisations over its role in society. The chapter suggests that Baringhorst’s historical development framework (2009), drawn from political communications theory and pinned to developments in the
media, may offer a more useful lens through which to assess protest PR. Finally, the communicative activities of the suffragettes are considered against Baringhorst’s framework, using an historical analysis of archive
material held at the Museum of London. This analysis identifies some of the ways in which the suffragettes were pioneers in their communicative activity.