International Paradigms: the Latin American School of Public Relations

Abstract

In November 2000, scholars and professionals officially introduced the Latin American School of Public Relations at the XXIII Congress of the Inter-American Confederation of Public Relations (CONFIARP) in Montevideo, Uruguay. This article summarizes this international paradigm, using presentations and publications available during and after the event and follow-up in-depth interviews conducted with scholars and professionals from eight South American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela) and four Central American countries (Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Nicaragua). The focus of the school is on the social role of public relations: similar to the radical role identified by Grunig and White (1992). The public relations practitioner is seen as a change agent or the conscience of the organization as defined from a postmodern perspective by Holtzhausen (2000). The inclusion of the idea that organizations should integrate with society to build a community with common interests is similar to the communitarian approach introduced by Kruckeberg and Starck (1988) and Starck and Kruckeberg (2001). The social orientation of the Latin American School of Thought reflects a more active society that is experiencing political and economic transformations in an era of privatization, deregulation, increased social inequalities and market integration.