Relaciones Públicas y asociacionismo académico en España: AIRP, la Asociación de Investigadores en Relaciones Públicas

Associationism, a habitual professional and academic practice in allfields, present in Spain various peculiarities in the case of PublicRelations, suffering from a lack of recognition and identification as anindependent discipline since its inception. In the professional field, thisleads to the appearance of multiple associations that, with different namesand many times obviating the words Public Relations, bring togetherprofessionals in the sector, but in the field of university research andteaching there is no such associative tradition. In order to fill this gap,AIRP, the Association of Researchers in Public Relations of Spain, wasfounded in 2004. 16 years after its creation, this article analyzes themeaning and usefulness of said association, both at the beginning and atpresent, and takes stock of the evolution of Public Relations in Spainthroughout this decade and a half, in the professional field and, above all,the academic one. A methodology based on a semi-structured interview withthree of the four AIRP founding professors and a content analysis of variousdocuments, such as the census and the entity's web portal, is proposed forthis. Among the results obtained, the academic impulse that the networkingand associative work of the majority of Spanish researchers in the field hasentailed for Public Relations, who before the existence of AIRP workedindependently; a boost that translates into greater scientific recognitionof the profession and a notable improvement in the indicators of scientificproduction associated with it, with the consequent greater presence of thediscipline in the study plans and the promotion of specialized teachers.Therefore, the importance of associationism is also corroborated in theacademic, non-professional sphere, especially in the case of disciplines,such as Public Relations in Spain, which needed an important work ofdignity. A process to which the high level of Spanish PR researchersundoubtedly contributes, which has allowed many of them access to fullprofessor and even professorial positions, something unthinkable a few yearsago. In relation to the eternal debate on the correct translation intoSpanish of the term Public Relations, the researchers are committed tomaintaining the name Relaciones Públicas which, although in the professionalfield is elusive, in the academic field it remains, even in the name of theDegree study. Finally, in relation to the history and evolution of AIRP, theentity has notably increased the number of partners since its foundation,counting on a presence in the majority of universities that offerAdvertising and Public Relations studies. This expansion, which willcontinue to be promoted, must be compatible, however, with its vocation as aspecialized entity, absolutely focused on the study of Public Relations. Theentity's most immediate challenge is the preparation of the White Paper onthe Scope of Public Relations, a guide for the preparation of study plans onthe subject.