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Awakening the Sufferers: Reflections on Public Relations, Activism, and Subalternity in Postcolonial Controversies between Taiwan and Japan

Sejrup, Jens LU (2014) In Public Relations Inquiry 3(1). p.51-68
Abstract
This article is a qualitative analysis of mass-mediated projections of relationships between public relations practitioners in the shape of activist groups and organizations, and subaltern stakeholders for whom they act as public representatives. Drawing my empirical examples from Japan and Taiwan and analysing the public relations implications of two politically sensitive and controversial cases, I question the nature of representative relations as reflected in mainstream mass media coverage in these two societies. Doing so, I raise concerns about the critical scope of scholarly interest in activism and the representation of other voices in public relations studies and draw on theoretical insights from Spivak, Guha, and others in order to... (More)
This article is a qualitative analysis of mass-mediated projections of relationships between public relations practitioners in the shape of activist groups and organizations, and subaltern stakeholders for whom they act as public representatives. Drawing my empirical examples from Japan and Taiwan and analysing the public relations implications of two politically sensitive and controversial cases, I question the nature of representative relations as reflected in mainstream mass media coverage in these two societies. Doing so, I raise concerns about the critical scope of scholarly interest in activism and the representation of other voices in public relations studies and draw on theoretical insights from Spivak, Guha, and others in order to untangle some of the complexities inherent in the mobilization of subaltern groups, here victims of historical abuse and maltreatment. The existence of such complexities in public and legal activism, I argue, remains largely ignored in public relations studies, despite the emergence of a new critical or postmodern paradigm. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
activism, Japan, postcolonial, subaltern, Taiwan
in
Public Relations Inquiry
volume
3
issue
1
pages
51 - 68
publisher
SAGE Publications
external identifiers
  • scopus:85016109202
ISSN
2046-147X
DOI
10.1177/2046147X13519637
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
983b8382-7d08-4800-8a41-0590acc47016 (old id 4378404)
alternative location
http://pri.sagepub.com/content/3/1/51
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 11:08:42
date last changed
2022-01-26 05:44:48
@article{983b8382-7d08-4800-8a41-0590acc47016,
  abstract     = {{This article is a qualitative analysis of mass-mediated projections of relationships between public relations practitioners in the shape of activist groups and organizations, and subaltern stakeholders for whom they act as public representatives. Drawing my empirical examples from Japan and Taiwan and analysing the public relations implications of two politically sensitive and controversial cases, I question the nature of representative relations as reflected in mainstream mass media coverage in these two societies. Doing so, I raise concerns about the critical scope of scholarly interest in activism and the representation of other voices in public relations studies and draw on theoretical insights from Spivak, Guha, and others in order to untangle some of the complexities inherent in the mobilization of subaltern groups, here victims of historical abuse and maltreatment. The existence of such complexities in public and legal activism, I argue, remains largely ignored in public relations studies, despite the emergence of a new critical or postmodern paradigm.}},
  author       = {{Sejrup, Jens}},
  issn         = {{2046-147X}},
  keywords     = {{activism; Japan; postcolonial; subaltern; Taiwan}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  pages        = {{51--68}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Public Relations Inquiry}},
  title        = {{Awakening the Sufferers: Reflections on Public Relations, Activism, and Subalternity in Postcolonial Controversies between Taiwan and Japan}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2046147X13519637}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/2046147X13519637}},
  volume       = {{3}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}