Trade Magazines

Origins

During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, trade magazines were important in the growth of professionalism. The term professional denotes special expertise in a particular area above that of the general population, often involving special training to gain that expertise. A profession is thus a community of individuals that share this expertise. Members of a profession attempt to erect boundaries between those who qualify as a professional and those who do not. In some instances, boundaries are maintained through official licensing, whether from an organization or from the government. For example, to be licensed as a medical doctor requires passing a series of required exams to qualify as such. While other professions lack such rigid professional boundaries, their members still maintain a sense of themselves as a specific community. It is here where trade magazines have been—and remain—important tools for establishing a professional community.

This process can be observed through the example of electrical experts in the nineteenth century. The growing number of electrical experts (in telegraphy, lighting, power, and transport) all called themselves electricians—and initiated several trade magazines in which they not only shared [Page 1400]innovations but also discussed the social importance of their field. As electricians sought to more clearly define their profession, their magazines became an important means for developing a shared technical lexicon. As a textual community—diffused in space, but united through the common consumption of trade publications—electricians sought to establish their expertise and authority as professionals, clearly separating themselves from nonelectricians. The trade press became an important component in the establishment of professional identities. Instead of general audience media or publications specific to a place, the trade press created communities based on an individual's employment activities.

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