graham knight - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by graham knight
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1985
Ctheory, 1980
After languishing for nearly a decade, the sociology of work has come into its own again . Recent... more After languishing for nearly a decade, the sociology of work has come into its own again . Recent works in this area offer a radical change from the "conventional" sociology of work which preceded them . Beginning in 1974 with the publication of Harry Braverman's Labour and Monopoly Capital, sociologists concerned with the social organization ofthe workplace and the labour process have been presented with an array of works. In the United States, William Form's Blue-Collar Stratification has revived interest in the relationship between the social and technical organization of work, and Nathan Rosenberg's Perspectives on Technology has brought a much needed sense of historical perspective to our understanding of technology and its effects . In Canada, James Rinehart's The Tyranny of Work has attempted a critical understanding of the historical and political sociology of work. In the United Kingdom, Nichols's and Beynon's Living With Capitalism has reo...
Canadian journal of communication, 1991
Criticizing the Media is really all about criticizing the American news media. There is little, i... more Criticizing the Media is really all about criticizing the American news media. There is little, if any, reference to literature on the media outside the US (though given the subject-matter, there is a large body of material that could have been made use of), and no attention is ...
Studies in Political Economy, 1998
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1983
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1982
I n t r o d u c t i o n This article presents an exploratory analysis of strike news as reported ... more I n t r o d u c t i o n This article presents an exploratory analysis of strike news as reported by two Toronto dailies during the 1980 postal strike, in light of a number of recent British studies of industrial relations news (
Canadian Journal of Communication, 2009
Rethinking public relations Political strategists, market research firms, think tanks, lobbyists,... more Rethinking public relations Political strategists, market research firms, think tanks, lobbyists, media advisors, third party mobilizers and 'grassroots' organizers, social media gurus, and other communication specialists have flourished in size and influence and transformed the role of communication in social, political, and economic life. Critics decry the expansion of professionalized communication, impugning the public relations (PR), polling, advertising, and marketing industries for overpowering the media with a torrent of sound-byte journalism, spin control, and 24-hour campaigning, and thus undermining the political process and civic discourse (e.g., Rampton & Stauber, 1995). In his research note, featured in this issue, Matt Soar uses war terminology ("commercial carpet bombing") to characterize the impact of the ad industry, in particular, on the civic landscape: "[a] city skyline awash in prominent logos," he writes, "is indicative of a profound imbalance between the wants of marketers and the needs of citizens." Others are less discouraged by the rise and intensification of promotion and publicity in the public sphere and see potential for expanding, rather than restricting, the democratic process. One recent book argues that we have entered a period of "public relations democracy" in which more news sources operating outside the traditional institutions and arenas of power are exercising influence over how media report on political, cultural, and economic affairs (Davis, 2002). Such "pluralist optimism" brings to mind Ray Hiebert's famous statement that "without public relations, democracy could not succeed in a mass society" (1966, p. 7). 1 The growth in PR, and the professionalization of promotional communication generally, can be attributed to myriad cultural, political, and economic forces: the broader changes associated with globalization, including the development of new information and communication technologies; the emergence, expansion, and contestation of market capitalism (in its neo-liberal and other guises); the increasing importance of symbolic and promotional labour; and the revitalization of the public sphere, where new, emerging forms of grievance and risk are defined, contested, and amplified (e.g., Knight & Greenberg, 2002). The articles, research notes, commentaries, and reviews that appear in this special issue address continuities and changes in public relations and professional communication practice. We argue that against the backdrop of these changes, communication (especially persuasive and instrumental forms of communication) has become a more salient feature of the cultural landscape of late modern society. In different ways, the issue takes up the challenge of rethinking public relations. The contributions comprising this issue fall into two main categories. The first category consists of those that discuss the application of PR and related practices of promotional communication to particular issues and topics. These include
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1982
International Communication Gazette, 2011
This article examines the role of PR in the debate about global climate change. Seeking to move b... more This article examines the role of PR in the debate about global climate change. Seeking to move beyond a focus on PR as just the handmaiden of corporate power, the article documents the fluid role of professionalized communication in terms of its impact on both corporate and NGO actors and their activities, focusing on communication tactics and the influence of PR consultancies. Drawing from the debates around the transformation of the public sphere, the article argues that the climate change issue illustrates not only structural change but also a wider cultural transformation marked by the emergence of promotionalism as the dominant communicative logic of both powerful and institutionally weaker players. It is argued that although existing political and economic resources provide certain actors with significant advantages, these assets and the structural advantages they tend to accrue cannot alone determine the outcome of struggles over climate change policy and public opinion.
University of Toronto Quarterly, 2001
Discipline and Punishment in Global Politics, 2008
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1982
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1979
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1995
... popular culture and selec-tively incorporate it into their own lives how, as we tentatively... more ... popular culture and selec-tively incorporate it into their own lives how, as we tentatively suggest, the beaver bites back ... de Coubertin and the Origins of the Modern Olympic Games (1981), and edited Rite, Drama, Festival, Spectacle: Rehearsals Toward a Theory of Cultural ...
The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2007
This paper compares French- and English-language Canadian television coverage of Australian Abori... more This paper compares French- and English-language Canadian television coverage of Australian Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman during the 2000 Olympics using a narrative framework. The specific focus of the analysis is the representation of Freeman's political identity as an agent and symbol of Aboriginal reconciliation – the struggle for apology, reparatio, and social justice in the light of the history and legacy of
Social Movement Studies, 2007
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1985
Ctheory, 1980
After languishing for nearly a decade, the sociology of work has come into its own again . Recent... more After languishing for nearly a decade, the sociology of work has come into its own again . Recent works in this area offer a radical change from the "conventional" sociology of work which preceded them . Beginning in 1974 with the publication of Harry Braverman's Labour and Monopoly Capital, sociologists concerned with the social organization ofthe workplace and the labour process have been presented with an array of works. In the United States, William Form's Blue-Collar Stratification has revived interest in the relationship between the social and technical organization of work, and Nathan Rosenberg's Perspectives on Technology has brought a much needed sense of historical perspective to our understanding of technology and its effects . In Canada, James Rinehart's The Tyranny of Work has attempted a critical understanding of the historical and political sociology of work. In the United Kingdom, Nichols's and Beynon's Living With Capitalism has reo...
Canadian journal of communication, 1991
Criticizing the Media is really all about criticizing the American news media. There is little, i... more Criticizing the Media is really all about criticizing the American news media. There is little, if any, reference to literature on the media outside the US (though given the subject-matter, there is a large body of material that could have been made use of), and no attention is ...
Studies in Political Economy, 1998
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1983
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1982
I n t r o d u c t i o n This article presents an exploratory analysis of strike news as reported ... more I n t r o d u c t i o n This article presents an exploratory analysis of strike news as reported by two Toronto dailies during the 1980 postal strike, in light of a number of recent British studies of industrial relations news (
Canadian Journal of Communication, 2009
Rethinking public relations Political strategists, market research firms, think tanks, lobbyists,... more Rethinking public relations Political strategists, market research firms, think tanks, lobbyists, media advisors, third party mobilizers and 'grassroots' organizers, social media gurus, and other communication specialists have flourished in size and influence and transformed the role of communication in social, political, and economic life. Critics decry the expansion of professionalized communication, impugning the public relations (PR), polling, advertising, and marketing industries for overpowering the media with a torrent of sound-byte journalism, spin control, and 24-hour campaigning, and thus undermining the political process and civic discourse (e.g., Rampton & Stauber, 1995). In his research note, featured in this issue, Matt Soar uses war terminology ("commercial carpet bombing") to characterize the impact of the ad industry, in particular, on the civic landscape: "[a] city skyline awash in prominent logos," he writes, "is indicative of a profound imbalance between the wants of marketers and the needs of citizens." Others are less discouraged by the rise and intensification of promotion and publicity in the public sphere and see potential for expanding, rather than restricting, the democratic process. One recent book argues that we have entered a period of "public relations democracy" in which more news sources operating outside the traditional institutions and arenas of power are exercising influence over how media report on political, cultural, and economic affairs (Davis, 2002). Such "pluralist optimism" brings to mind Ray Hiebert's famous statement that "without public relations, democracy could not succeed in a mass society" (1966, p. 7). 1 The growth in PR, and the professionalization of promotional communication generally, can be attributed to myriad cultural, political, and economic forces: the broader changes associated with globalization, including the development of new information and communication technologies; the emergence, expansion, and contestation of market capitalism (in its neo-liberal and other guises); the increasing importance of symbolic and promotional labour; and the revitalization of the public sphere, where new, emerging forms of grievance and risk are defined, contested, and amplified (e.g., Knight & Greenberg, 2002). The articles, research notes, commentaries, and reviews that appear in this special issue address continuities and changes in public relations and professional communication practice. We argue that against the backdrop of these changes, communication (especially persuasive and instrumental forms of communication) has become a more salient feature of the cultural landscape of late modern society. In different ways, the issue takes up the challenge of rethinking public relations. The contributions comprising this issue fall into two main categories. The first category consists of those that discuss the application of PR and related practices of promotional communication to particular issues and topics. These include
Canadian Journal of Communication, 1982
International Communication Gazette, 2011
This article examines the role of PR in the debate about global climate change. Seeking to move b... more This article examines the role of PR in the debate about global climate change. Seeking to move beyond a focus on PR as just the handmaiden of corporate power, the article documents the fluid role of professionalized communication in terms of its impact on both corporate and NGO actors and their activities, focusing on communication tactics and the influence of PR consultancies. Drawing from the debates around the transformation of the public sphere, the article argues that the climate change issue illustrates not only structural change but also a wider cultural transformation marked by the emergence of promotionalism as the dominant communicative logic of both powerful and institutionally weaker players. It is argued that although existing political and economic resources provide certain actors with significant advantages, these assets and the structural advantages they tend to accrue cannot alone determine the outcome of struggles over climate change policy and public opinion.
University of Toronto Quarterly, 2001
Discipline and Punishment in Global Politics, 2008
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1982
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1979
Canadian Journal of Sociology / Cahiers canadiens de sociologie, 1995
... popular culture and selec-tively incorporate it into their own lives how, as we tentatively... more ... popular culture and selec-tively incorporate it into their own lives how, as we tentatively suggest, the beaver bites back ... de Coubertin and the Origins of the Modern Olympic Games (1981), and edited Rite, Drama, Festival, Spectacle: Rehearsals Toward a Theory of Cultural ...
The International Journal of the History of Sport, 2007
This paper compares French- and English-language Canadian television coverage of Australian Abori... more This paper compares French- and English-language Canadian television coverage of Australian Aboriginal athlete Cathy Freeman during the 2000 Olympics using a narrative framework. The specific focus of the analysis is the representation of Freeman's political identity as an agent and symbol of Aboriginal reconciliation – the struggle for apology, reparatio, and social justice in the light of the history and legacy of
Social Movement Studies, 2007