Social construction of identity by female Russian public relations practitioners

Ekaterina Tsetsura, Purdue University

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how female Russian public relations practitioners socially construct and negotiate their social identities. The concept of social construction was used to develop a theoretical framework for studying multiple identities of public relations practitioners in Russia, a country with an emerging democracy and transitional economy. This framework helped to organize these constructions and negotiations of multiple identities, communicated in discourse, based on individuals' professional, cultural, and gender characteristics. Previous literature in social construction of reality, the development of public relations in Russia, the complexity of social identities of a female, professional, public relations practitioner, and a Russian national was examined to develop and implement the proposed theoretical framework. Twenty-five female Russian public relations practitioners from ten large public relations agencies in Moscow were interviewed for the study. The results of this study illustrated the complex, intertwined tensions in identity construction and negotiation that female practitioners face while practicing public relations in Russia. This project provides baseline which helps to begin to systematically understand and evaluate multiple identities of these professionals and explore the notion of socially constructed identity. The study also demonstrated how the theoretical framework for studying a social construction of identity might be useful for analyzing professionals' identities in other fields. Finally, the study explored a possibility to look at public relations as a socially constructed professional field and suggested a new theoretical approach to understanding the field of public relations as a socially constructed reality.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Botan, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Mass media|Journalism|Marketing|Womens studies

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