Public relations as humane conversation: Richard Rorty,stakeholder theory,and public relations practice

Abstract

While R Edward Freeman’s stakeholder theory has become one of the most generative contemporary management theories and has shaped the public relations lexicon, its influence on public relations theory and practice has been muted. In this essay, I use the work of the American pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty to resituate Freeman’s theory and offer a vision of public relations practice that is grounded in what can be called humane conversation. After describing both the promise and limitations of stakeholder theory, I provide an overview of Rorty’s philosophical project and describe potential points of contact with Freeman’s theory. Then, I suggest how this encounter can frame a new understanding of public relations grounded in Rorty’s notions of contingency, irony, and solidarity, in which scholars, professionals, and students learn to see themselves as humane intellectuals in the fullest sense of the term.