Discourse, credentialism and occupational closure in the communications industries: The case of publ...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
Beteiligte: Edwards, Lee
In: European Journal of Communication, 29, 2014, 3, S. 319-334
veröffentlicht:
SAGE Publications
Medientyp: Artikel, E-Artikel

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Umfang: 319-334
ISSN: 0267-3231
1460-3705
DOI: 10.1177/0267323113519228
veröffentlicht in: European Journal of Communication
Sprache: Englisch
Schlagwörter:
Kollektion: SAGE Publications (CrossRef)
Inhaltsangabe

<jats:p>This article addresses the problem of stubbornly low levels of diversity in the communications industries, using the case of public relations to illustrate the points made. The author explores how disciplinary discourses of occupational practice and identity combine with representations of normative embodiment to construct and communicate a system of informal credentialism in the field that marginalises certain identities. Through a critical discourse analysis of formal texts that circulate across the industry, the author illustrates how apparently value-neutral presentations of PR work and workers exclude BME and working-class practitioners who cannot easily demonstrate a natural ‘fit’ with client, consultancy or colleague. The findings illustrate how the construction of informal credentialism through discourse may be acting as a powerful source of closure across the communications industries.</jats:p>