A Marxist primer for critical public relations scholarship

Critical public relations which has its foundations in critical social enquiry has developed extensively as a subset of public relations research and theorising. Surprisingly, however, given the profound influence that Karl Marx's writings had on the evolution of critical theory, there has been minimal discussion of how Marxist criticism might contribute to our understanding and theorising of public relations. At a time when capitalism is regarded by many as in crisis', this article explores the value of applying a Marxist analysis to the study of public relations in the 21st century. It examines how key Marxist concepts can be applied to theorising public relations, and how these concepts provide insights into the social, political, and economic structures that public relations works to maintain.