Research in Public Relations: old dilemmas and new demands

Abstract

The birth and development of Public Relations in Argentina was determined by its practical and professional foundation, which determined a particular trajectory for this communication discipline. Theoretical discussion was not considered in local forums even though in recent decades PR programs and postgraduate courses were increasingly offered. This article is a brief overview of the main theories that dominated communication field in Argentina and its research foci, in order to understand how PR studies were considered. Certain argentine researchers prejudice led to ignore multidisciplinary approaches this is an area of study requires and communication sciences background. PR as a research area faces the challenge of organizational communication changes, which demands innovative methodologies and theoretical approaches for the new phenomena. Renewing academic discussion on PR research is necessary to produce constructive knowledge as other countries do, even to integrate education and research to practices of public and private organizations in our country.