Executive Orders of ISCAR

ISCAR’s Executive Orders are reviewed, revalidated and renumbered every successive period of office of the Executive, whereon previous Executive Orders expire.

The current valid Executive Orders are:

No. 28: Membership Service

No. 29: IT Resources

No. 30: Communication Resources

No. 31: Congress Policy

No. 32: Employing a Former ISCAR President as an Advisor

No. 33: Website Policy

No. 34: ISCAR Service Medal

No. 35: Membership Contributions

No. 36: Ongoing Communication between the ISCAR Executive Committee and its Website

No. 37: Grants to Participate in ISCAR Congresses

No. 38: Summer Events for PhD Students and Early Career Researchers

No. 39: Publication

No. 40: Economical Support for Association Activities

 

Executive Order No. 28: Membership Service

The Executive Committee is responsible to:

• provide a possibility for persons to register as members or be reinstated after a lapsed membership
• provide at least three reminders for persons to pay their membership contribution, if they are due
• provide possibilities to pay the membership contribution
• provide possibilities to deposit these contributions in the Association’s bank account
• maintain a membership database, including:
• registering new members into the database
• updating member address information
• removing members
• seek and maintain membership benefits
• communicate about membership benefits to members
• answer queries from members concerning their membership status and payment procedures
• answer queries from members concerning membership benefits
• handle other queries from members

The Executive Committee may delegate responsibility for some or all of these tasks, but ultimate responsibility for their adequate performance rests with the Committee.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 29: IT Resources

The Executive Committee is responsible to ensure that the following information technology resources are provided:

• web server
• mailing lists
• databases (members, congress participants, payments)

The domain name iscar.org is owned by the Association. At all times the website management system must be accessible to the Executive committee and maintainable by it. The Executive Committee may delegate responsibility for this provision, but ultimate responsibility for adequate service rests with the Committee.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 30: Communication Resources

The Executive Committee is responsible for:

• organizing a regularly-published newsletter
• maintaining and updating the Association website
• providing mailing lists for organisation business
• providing mailing lists for member activities, especially sections.
• providing access to the web-server for sections

 

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 31: Congress Policy

Frequency

ISCAR holds an international Congress every third year.

Congress Language

The Congress language is English and all abstracts must be submitted in English. The local organising committee may also introduce other languages into the Congress, but these sessions should be clearly marked in the program. The way in which these sessions will operate both in English and additional language/s should be clearly explained. If the main language of the Congress location is not English, then the congress organizers are encouraged to have simultaneous translation of keynote speeches and other main events.

Selection of Organizing Committee

The Executive Committee, based on Article 30, delegates responsibility for organizing the ISCAR Congress to a ‘local organizing committee’ of one or more persons.

Ideally this appointment should occur before or during the next Congress held after the current Executive Committee’s election.

The appointment must be made no later than two years before the planned date of the next Congress

The Executive Committee acknowledges the difficulties in finding an able and willing person (or group) to organize the Congress, who also has a suitable location and infrastructure. This is the first consideration in choosing a ‘local organizing committee.’

If more than one person/group is interested, then considerations like cost, geographical distribution, and location of previous Congresses can be considered.

Selection of the ‘local organizing committee’ is made by consensus within the Executive Committee. If a consensus cannot be reached, then a vote agreed on a simple majority will be taken.

Practical Organization

As part of the delegation of responsibility to the organizing committee, a single person is appointed by the Executive Committee as the formal representative between the local organizing committee and the Executive Committee. This person will work together with the Congress President to ensure that the Congress is organised in ways that follow the spirit and traditions of previous ISCAR Congresses.

The local organizing committee has complete freedom in appointing other members to help with organisation.

The organizing committee should ask the Executive Committee for advice and support and it should consult with the Executive Committee about the keynote speakers.

Congress Themes

Recognizing the diversity of the theoretical and substantive interests found within ISCAR, the Executive Committee wants to provide a process for members to inform the organisers about possible relevant themes. The following procedure will be used:

No later than two years before the date of the next Congress, a general call for thematic proposals will be issued to all ISCAR sections.

Each national or regional section should submit their proposals to the relevant member of the Executive Committee, while each of the thematic sections should submit their proposals to the Vice-President.

Each Executive Committee member should be active in soliciting views of the members in their region.

The Vice-President is responsible for collecting all the proposals together and submitting them to the Congress organisers, no later than 22 months before the planned date of the Congress.

The organising Committee must submit a draft proposal for the Congress themes to the Executive Committee, no later than 20 months before the Congress.

The Executive Committee may give comments no later than one month after receiving the proposal. The comments are important for the organizing of the Congress. The organizing committee will make the final decision about the Congress themes in consultation with the Executive Committee.

Congress Structure

The collaborative decision of the Congress president and the organising committee, with the support of the Executive Committee if needed, is free to organize Congress as it sees fit, including, but not limited to: number of days, structure of the sessions, invited sessions and choice of keynote speakers. The congress organisers should offer the opportunity of an invited session to each of the 10 regions, and announce these invited sessions in the congress program.

Educational Activities

The local organizing committee is encouraged to call for proposals to offer educational activities (workshops, doctoral courses, and similar events) before and/or after the Congress.

Publication Activities

The local organizing committee is encouraged to plan for the publication of at least one edited volume of selected papers from the Congress. In addition, other publication forms (e.g., CD-ROM, net-based) can be considered.

Financial Organisation

The Congress must be self-supporting (i.e., the budget for the Congress should be supported by Congress fees and/or any additional funds that the organizing committee can raise).

The Executive Committee may, after written application from the local organizing committee, give a loan, a shortfall guarantee, a direct grant, or some combination of these three possibilities. The total combined funds committed through these three forms can never be more than 33% of the Association’s total liquid assets. However, it is encouraged that the Local Organising Committee ensures that its planned activities fall within their proposed budget.

A loan cannot be greater than 33% of Association’s total liquid assets. This loan is expected to be repaid no later than 3 months after the completion of the Congress.

A shortfall guarantee (i.e., to cover costs if the Congress loses money) must not exceed 25% of the Association’s liquid assets. If the Congress achieves a profit, then the Association must receive the amount that corresponds to its guarantee.

A direct grant (i.e., not to be repaid) may not exceed 25% of the Association’s liquid assets.

Membership Reduction at Congresses

Unless they are first-time new members, reduction in the Congress fee will only be offered to ISCAR members who have bought a three-year membership up to and including the calendar year that the Congress is being held.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 32: Employing a Former ISCAR President as an Advisor

In case an ISCAR president is not re-elected as an Executive Committee member the new Executive Committee might employ him/ her as its advisor for as many years as the Executive Committee considers necessary. The agreement of at least two thirds of the new Executive Committee members is required for this decision to be taken.

This Executive Order expires on the 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 33: Website Policy

The main purpose of the Association website is to support the work of the Association, as a central organization, which is aimed at supporting scientific communication among its members, and to support communication with other scientific organisations, where much of the scientific activity within the Association is initiated and supported at local, national, regional levels.
The minimal functions to be provided on the Association website are:

• information about membership
• information about membership benefits
• current information about activities of the Association
• guidance to current information about section activities
• historical information about the Association and its precursors
• information about affiliated journals, standard and other selected publications and reductions for ISCAR members.

Specific projects (e.g., reference databases, document databases) will be conceived as local or individual projects, initiated by members, though it may be appropriate for the Executive Committee (e.g., through the newsletter) to inform members about and/or support such projects (e.g., financial support for computer programming, use of web server).

The Executive Committee can delegate to a “Website Working Group” the task of taking charge of additional activities and functions beyond those mentioned here, but these must be approved by the Executive Committee before they are implemented.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 34: ISCAR Service Medal

Purpose

To acknowledge significant contribution in creating and/or supporting material conditions within the Association’s purpose as described in Article 3 (‘promote and develop multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical research on societal, cultural and historical dimensions of human practices’).

Award
Two kinds of awards may be offered. One award is for members who are retired from employment and the other award is for members who have full time employment.

An award to a member who has retired from full time employment is eligible for:

1. Congress fee
2. Travel to Congress (economy rate)
3. Accommodation during Congress (amount that corresponds to economy rate)

An award to a member who has full time employment shall be free congress participation and a symbolic gift (such as an engraved pen). The member will be recognised for their contributions as described in Article 3 and will receive a letter of recognition.

Eligibility

The person proposed has made significant contribution to promoting or sustaining the research community that has historically had active participation within ISCAR. Examples of significant contribution might include newsletter editing, congress organisation, doctoral course organisation, hosting visiting researchers, development and/or maintenance of web-based resources, compilation and/or editing of significant texts. For purposes of the medal, ‘significant contribution’ would consist of two or more of these activities.

The person proposed has not previously received a Service Medal.

Selection Process

Nominations (including self-nomination) should be sent to the Executive Committee. Members of the Executive Committee may also nominate persons.

Nominations can be made at any time.

The nomination should include a short account (usually no more than 1/2 page) that indicates the nominee’s contribution.

To be considered for a coming Congress, nominations must be received no later than six weeks before the first announced deadline for paper submissions.

The Executive Committee is the sole and final judge of whether the eligibility criteria are fulfilled and whether to award any medals.

For a given Congress, more than one medal may be awarded.

For a given Congress, the Executive Committee may decide not to award any medals.

If nominations are received, the Executive Committee is obligated only to report whether or not any medals have been awarded.

Practical considerations

A nomination may be received by any member of the Executive Committee. The recipient will forward the nomination to all members of the Executive for their consideration (usually via email list). A discussion will be held, and a decision must be made by at least two-thirds of the group for an award to be made. The Secretary will inform the Congress Organising Committee so that an award ceremony may be scheduled into the Congress program. A letter/certificate will be drafted by the Secretary, which includes the purpose (Article 3) of the award, and this will be presented to the recipient at the Congress. The information on the nomination will be read out at the Congress during the award ceremony.

This Executive Order expires on the 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 35: Membership Contributions

Membership Rates for 2015 Onwards

The ISCAR membership contribution is per calendar year.

There is also the possibility of a three-year membership, which requires a previous membership of ISCAR of at least two years, unless purchased by a new first-time member. Only members with three-year membership ending in the calendar year of Congress will be eligible for a reduction in Congress fee (see Order 31).

ISCAR members may choose between regular or reduced membership on the basis of their economic/financial situation.

The regular membership contribution for 2015 onwards is €35 (euros) for one calendar year and €85 (euros) for three years.

The reduced membership contribution is €20 (euros) for one calendar year and €60 (euros) for three years.

A free 1-year membership for members in special situations is also possible. To apply for this free membership, please make your case in writing to the President, who will make the final decision, assisted by the Treasurer. The criterion we use for reducing a fee or awarding a free membership is where the applicant has a reduced income (i.e. a student or a retired person) or earns a relatively lower income (i.e. where exchange rates and/or the applicant’s income in a particular country make our fees expensive in relative terms).

To apply for the free membership, please contact the treasurer of ISCAR.

Exemptions and Exceptions

Members who are not able to pay their contribution according to the existing methods may apply to the Treasurer for an exceptional arrangement.

Practical aspects (implementation):

1. The Treasurer should ask the member if it is possible that they have a friend or colleague in another country who could make the payment for them.
2. If no, then the Treasurer asks the person if they are coming to Congress. Membership payment can be made at Congress.
3. The exempted member presents their payment in cash for a three-year membership to the Treasurer (or a nominated member of the Executive Committee or another nominee as organized by the Treasurer) at the Congress.
4. The three-year period begins at the Congress where the payment is made, and is valid until the next Congress.
5. In the event that the exempted member cannot attend the Congress, it is the responsibility of the exempted member to send cash payment with someone from their region who will be attending the Congress. If no payment is received, membership is cancelled.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 36: Ongoing Communication between the ISCAR Executive Committee and its Website

It is the responsibility of the ISCAR Secretary, or their nominee, to ensure that the website content is up to date. Updates will occur regularly, potentially once per month, or when activities are reported for inclusion on the website.

The ISCAR Secretary or their nominee will pass on updates to the Web Team so that the information can be uploaded.

A person or a group of persons coordinated by one representative with some familiarity with websites may be employed for to maintain the content of the website. This person/group of persons will work under the direction of the ISCAR Secretary. Costs associated with this work are the responsibility of ISCAR and must be agreed by the Executive prior to any undertaking.

It is the responsibility of the ISCAR Secretary or their nominee to update content immediately after each Congress, when the configuration of the Executive Committee may change, when the contact details of an executive member change, when a newsletter is published, and when decisions are made by the executive that require amendments to documents on the website, such as updating Orders. In addition, the ISCAR Secretary or their nominee will put relevant information from Sections onto the Website.

The ISCAR Secretary or their nominee will provide accurate information for uploading to the website, and this will be done within a two week period from the notice of changes being given. The web team will upload changes ASAP, but preferably within a two-week period. This will ensure that in any given 30 day period, the website will be upgraded.
This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 37: Grants to Participate in ISCAR Congresses

ISCAR as an organisation seeks to provide additional support to Majority World Country ISCAR members and researchers who are interested in ISCAR and wish to attend the Congress. In line with this important principle, ISCAR may offer grants for researchers from the majority world, who would like to participate in the ISCAR Congress and do not have enough funds. The grants may cover registration fees, accommodation during the congress, and travel costs.

Interested applicants should have adequate research and communication skills and work in one of the research fields that are described in the ISCAR flyer. Applications will be evaluated in terms of their contribution to Congress. Long standing membership of ISCAR is desirable but not crucial. The ISCAR Executive Committee in coordination with the local Congress organizers may appoint an external committee or adjunct committee members which will set the criteria of the evaluation of applications and organize the whole process for the selection of scholars. One PhD student or early career researcher should participate in the decision-making process.

Applications should include:

• A proposal for a paper to be presented at the Congress.
• A brief letter that describes the job and financial situation of the applicant, including details of income. In addition, the applicant should give details of how attending the ISCAR Congress will benefit them and what impact this will have on their future work.
• A short CV, which will include information on previous participation in conferences, the applicant’s full contact details and contact details. For Ph.D. students or early career researchers, two local professors should act as referees. If the applicant and/or the referee have a webpage in any language, this information should be given as well.
• Other pieces of information as defined by the external committee
• Details of membership history with ISCAR

The relevance and quality of the proposal and the applicant’s profile as well as the hardship of his/her financial situation will be evaluated.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 38: Summer Events for PhD Students and Early Career Researchers

ISCAR recognizes the need for providing support to PhD students and early career researchers who share an interest in ISCAR-related topics. ISCAR takes the support of activities of PhD students and early-career researchers as its priority. Following the principles of the theories and methodologies of ISCAR scholars, ISCAR approves the active and non-hierarchical participation of PhD students and early career researchers in all ISCAR-related local and international events. At the same time ISCAR understands the need for PhD students and early career researchers to create and participate in their own networks and discuss common problems related to writing a thesis or beginning an academic career, as well as the exchange of ideas and resources beyond the borders of local groups or national sections in which the students and early career researchers might participate and be trained. ISCAR wants also to minimize the distance between established scholars and PhD students/early career researchers as well as between researchers from the majority and minority world.

In this sense:

• ISCAR supports the organization of PhD students and early career researchers inside ISCAR and their active participation in ISCAR business. Where possible ISCAR will provide information platforms and technologies to facilitate this kind of organization.
• ISCAR supports the organization of summer events, PhD and early career researchers’ meetings and workshops, on both the local and international levels. These events should encourage learning by doing and active participation and discourage traditional forms of schooling. These events should also thematically reflect the diversity of ISCAR-related approaches, and encourage the generation of new ideas, new forms of theory and practice, as well as enable interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary border-crossing.
• Such events should be inclusive in terms of class, disability, gender, colour, ethnicity/race, and age-related differences and if possible enable interaction in different languages. In very practical terms such events should have very low fees, and if possible provide free accommodation and travel expenses to all participants. Alternatively virtual interaction technologies might be used, which can enable long-distance access for participants who cannot travel.
• Such events should also provide (at least some) spaces for the informal and direct interaction between established ISCAR scholars and PhD students/ early career researchers as well as between researchers from different countries.
• Such events can take place regularly, if possible more than once per year at different continents.
• On the ground of these principles, the ISCAR Executive Committee delegates responsibility to the hosts or organizers of these events to organize such an event in the way they consider to be best. The local organizing committee has complete freedom in appointing others to help with the organization and in making all kind of decisions. The local organizing committee is welcome to ask the Executive Committee for advice and support, but is not obligated in any way to consult with the Executive Committee. Such events should be self-supporting (i.e., the budget for these events should be supported by funds from local universities and research entities, or any additional funds that the organizing committee can raise).
• In order to enable the immediate interaction between the Executive Committee and the PhD students/early career researchers at least one member of the Executive Committee will be encouraged to participate to such an event. Because ISCAR Executive Committee self fund their own travel, there is no guarantee that it will be possible for an Executive Committee member to attend these events. This person however is not necessarily expected to participate in decision-making about the local organization.
• The local organizing committee is encouraged to plan for the publication of at least one journal special issue with selected papers from such an event. The ISCAR affiliated journals can be requested to accept the publication of such a special issue. In addition, other publication forms (e.g., CD-ROM, net-based) can be considered.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 39: Publication

In the event that the Executive Committee receives or solicits presentations/papers from the Congress, the following procedure should be followed:

• Ensure that future publications continue to promote and develop ISCAR’s interests and take into consideration presentations planned by Congress organizers.
• Ensure that the keynote or special contribution is not published or in press in a substantively similar form or version, since this obviates our intention to offer a publication which is not publicly available elsewhere.
• To ensure parity, if resources allow, contact all keynote presenters and enquire whether they are interested in publishing on the ISCAR website.
• Limit the potential formats to ‘open formats’ (i.e. considered open to all users) in the style of a lecture slide show or a written paper.
• Ensure quality by having the document reviewed by an Executive Committee member or their nominee.
• Adopt a house style for each of these formats that is good value yet of a high digital quality of publication.
• License publications through open access licensing agreement (e.g. Creative Commons see http://creativecommons.org/), and thereby publish on a not-for-profit basis.
• Set a deadline for receiving draft publications with an ISCAR executive member, or ISCAR member, taking responsibility for the editorial process and liaising with the publication setter throughout the process.
• Upload to ISCAR website and publicize widely to membership.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.

 

Executive Order No. 40: Economical Support for Association Activities

ISCAR as an organisation wants to provide additional economical support to ISCAR members to promote and develop multidisciplinary theoretical and empirical research on societal, cultural and historical dimensions of human practices.

Four categories of activities will be supported:

• thematic symposiums or regional meetings between conferences
• Invited regional and thematic sessions at the ISCAR Congress
• Meeting of the Executive Committee between ISCAR Congresses
• Congress registration fees for the Executive Committee

Organisation and Administration

The Executive Committee may appoint an external committee to formulate evaluation criteria.

If and when an external committee is selected, it will formulate criteria for evaluation of applications, which have to be approved by two-thirds of the Executive Committee.

The external committee evaluates applications and makes recommendations to the Executive Committee.

Application can be sent two times a year by August 5^th and by January 5^th and will be evaluated within two months by the external committee and approved by at least two-thirds of the Executive Committee.

Thematic symposiums and regional meetings

To gain support these symposiums and meetings have to be open to all ISCAR members.

Applications must include:

• A short thematic description of the purpose and content of the meeting
• A plan for how the meeting will be organised
• A budget for the meeting, with a specific funding request to ISCAR.

ISCAR will consider requests for funds:

• For accommodation and meeting costs
• To provide a guarantee (to a specified maximum amount) to cover a possible shortfall in budget.

ISCAR will not provide full funding for a meeting.

Invited Regional and Thematic Sessions at ISCAR Congress

At each ISCAR Congress, the registered regional and thematic symposium sections will be invited to create a symposium. The Executive Committee will appoint organisers for each of these invited sessions. The Congress registration fee for the organiser will be paid by ISCAR. These sessions will be highlighted in the program as ISCAR invited sessions.

Executive Committee Meetings

Any Executive Committee meetings held between Congresses should include a thematic symposium. Executive Committee members who are unable to get support from their home organisation for travel and accommodation may request support from the Executive Committee.

ISCAR Congress Participation

The Congress fee for members of the ISCAR Executive Committee will be paid by ISCAR.

This Executive Order expires on 11th November 2021.