Bridge between Public Relations Education and Culture: The Perspectives of Bahraini Female PR Training Practitioners

© Media Watch 9 (3) 302-316, 2018
ISSN 0976-0911 e-ISSN 2249-8818
DOI: 10.15655/mw/2018/v9i1/49479

 

Bridge between Public Relations Education and Culture: The Perspectives of Bahraini Female

PR Training Practitioners
LAYLA ALSAQER
University of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bahrain

 
Abstract
This paper uses a cultural approach to provide rich original qualitative data on the perspectives of female PR training students who newly finished their university degree in public relations in Bahrain. The research analyzes the relationships and stereotypes of these women through bridging PR education to the professional practice of public relations in the cultural context of Bahrain. The researcher adopts a cultural approach to analyze the data using cultural dimensions such as Hofstede (1994) and Hall (1976) in addition to theoretical concepts based on the literature on gender and power. The contribution of this research is that it is the first paper that offers primary data on female public relations education in Bahrain and its impact on the perceptions of female PR practitioners in term of leadership roles, image and power relationships from a cultural angle.

 
Keywords: Culture, public relations, gender, education, power

 
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Dr. Layla AlSaqer is an assistant professor in the Department of Mass Communication, Tourism and Fine Arts, College of Arts at the University of Bahrain. Her research interest is in public relations education and practice, media studies, public relations and culture and social marketing.