Download the Bylaws of the Society for Ethnographic Theory
(Old HAU Constitution 2013-2018)
BYLAWS
Society for Ethnographic Theory
Amended on 25 September, 2024
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ARTICLE I. NAME
ARTICLE II. OBJECTS
ARTICLE III. POWERS
ARTICLE IV. COMPOSITION OF THE SOCIETY
ARTICLE V. DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
ARTICLE VI. HAU: JOURNAL OF ETHNOGRAPHIC THEORY
ARTICLE VII. HAU BOOKS ARTICLE
VIII. SCIENTIFIC EDITORIAL BOARD
ARTICLE IX. OTHER AFFILIATES
ARTICLE X. HAU-NET
ARTICLE XI. FINANCES
ARTICLE XII. STAFF
ARTICLE XIII. SANCTIONS AND GRIEVANCES
ARTICLE XIV. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY
ARTICLE XV. AMENDMENTS
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ARTICLE I. NAME
1.1 The name of this organization shall be Society for Ethnographic Theory (SET).
ARTICLE II. OBJECTS
2.1 The objects or purpose of the Society shall be to advance the comparative study of people’s modes of existence through a speculative inquiry into the indigenous systems of thought and the conceptual apparatuses arising through the use of the ethnographic method. These goals are achieved by encouraging ethnographic research and theoretical development in the discipline of anthropology through the publication of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory, HAU Books, and other publishing and academic initiatives.
ARTICLE III. POWERS
3.1 The Articles of Association, supplemented by the Bylaws of the Society, shall govern in all cases. Subject to the Articles of Association and Bylaws, the Society shall have the power to publish scholarship; to promote research activities; to convene meetings and other events; to affiliate with other organizations; to establish branches, sections, or divisions; to receive, administer, and disburse dues and assessments; and to engage in such other activities as are in keeping with the purpose of the Society.
ARTICLE IV. COMPOSITION OF THE SOCIETY
Section 1.
4.1.1. Directors and Editors (including the Editorial collectives, Associate Editors and the Digital Editor but excluding Honorary Editors and editorial advisors to the Board of Directors) shall not be Members of SET.
Section 2. Members
4.2. 1. Terms of membership shall be regulated by the Articles of Association, as per UK law.
4.2.2. The Society for Ethnographic Theory shall consist of not fewer than three members and not more than twenty-five members. The members shall constitute a collective body, with each member holding equal voting rights. Any member who fails, without prior notice to the chair of the Board of Directors, to attend two (2) consecutive meetings may be subject to removal from membership, subject to the discretion of the Board. Founder of HAU shall be a member, ad honorem.
4.2.3. The Board of Directors may invite new members to join the Society.
Section 3. Duties of the Members of the Society for Ethnographic Theory
4.3.1. Members shall have no executive power. They shall be responsible for electing individuals to the Board of Directors and to vote on amendments to the Bylaws, along with the Board of Directors.
Section 4. Board of Directors
4. 4.1. The Society shall be governed by an executive Board of Directors composed of a minimum of three and maximum of seven individuals. New Directors are elected by the members of the Society for Ethnographic Theory along with the existing Board of Directors. Each Director has equal voting rights and powers and shares responsibilities in running the Society. Directors may include individuals from HAU-Net institutions and other affiliated groups (See Article IX). The Editors of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory or HAU Books shall not be Directors. A Chair shall be elected among the existing Directors every two years.
4.4.2. The Board shall have authority to execute on behalf of the Society all powers and functions of the Society, as defined in these Bylaws and the Articles of Association, as per UK law.
4.4.3. The Board shall meet in person annually, either at the annual meeting of the American Anthropological Association, another such professional anthropology gathering, or at an event organized by the Society.
4.4.4. The Board may hold special meetings at the call of the Chair. Special meetings of the Board shall also be called by the Chair at any time upon written demand of at least three Directors.
4.4.5. The Board shall call an Annual General Meeting (AGM) of all Directors and Members.
4.4.6. Coordinators and/or representatives of the Editorial Collectives, the Digital Editor, and representatives the University of Chicago Press and other guests may be invited as appropriate to the AGM and other meetings of the Society to report to the membership and/or discuss matters of editorial interest.
Section 4. Terms of Office
4.5.1. Terms of service on the Board of Directors shall be four years, renewable. At the end of his or her four-year term, each Director must formally request a renewal of their appointment by the members of the Society.
4.5.2. Directors’ terms of service shall be staggered so as to maintain institutional memory and functionality of the Board. New Directors shall begin their terms of service at the annual meeting of the Board.
Section 5. Reelection, Reappointment, Replacement
4.6.1 Directors may resign at any time, if at least three Directors will remain in office when the resignation is to take effect.
4.6.2. In the case of resignation or end of term of a Director, an appointment or election will be held for their replacement. The Board of Directors will coordinate this process with the Members of the Society.
ARTICLE V. DUTIES OF DIRECTORS
Section 1. Chair
5.1.1. The Chair shall be responsible for organizing meetings and coordinating communication of the Board of Directors.
5.1.2. Unless otherwise determined by the Board, the Chair shall serve as the representative of the Society.
Section 2. Directors
5.2.1. The Board of Directors has shared responsibility for overseeing the correct financial operation of the publications, fundraising, and maintaining academic standards of ethics and excellence in publishing and association.
5.2.2. The Board of Directors shall prepare an annual report to the members of the Society. This report shall include the annual accounts prepared by the Finance Officer.
5.2.3. The Board of Directors shall together determine the different scopes of responsibility for each Director, which shall always include a Director in charge of Human Resources and Staff grievances and a Board's Liaison with the Finance Officer.
ARTICLE VI. HAU: JOURNAL OF ETHNOGRAPHIC THEORY
Section 1. Editorial Collective
6.1.1. The journal of the Society for Ethnographic Theory shall be HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory.
6.1.2. The Editorial Collective shall consist of a group of minimum two and maximum five equal Editors.
6.1.3. The Editors are appointed by the Board of Directors and shall serve a four-year term, renewable only once, pending the continuing success of the journal, with approval of the Board.
Section 2. Duties of the Editorial Collective
6.2.1. The Editorial Collective shall be responsible for the overall journal and its promotion, under the direction of the Board of the Directors, and subject to the provisions of these Bylaws.
6.2.2. The journal Editorial Collective shall render an annual report to the Board of Directors, which upon approval shall be presented to the Annual Business Meeting.
6.2.3. In the case of resignation, the Editors shall give a minimum of three months’ notice.
6.2.4. If the Editorial Collective falls below the minimum number of editors, the Board of Directors will initiate a search and nomination process. During this process, the publishing activities of the journal will continue unhindered. If necessary, the Board shall appoint Interim Editors during the search.
Section 3. Stipends and Travel Allowances
6.3.1. The Chair of the Board of Directors, in consultation with the Editorial Director and the Finance Officer, shall propose appropriate stipends, and/or travel allowances for the HAU Journal Editorial Collective to the Board of Directors for approval, according to the available budget.
Section 4. Sanctions
6.4.1. The Board of Directors shall have the power to remove an editor of HAU Journal for editorial malpractice, inactivity, or abuse of staff, according to the grievance procedure of the organization.
ARTICLE VII. HAU BOOKS
Section 1. Editorial Collective of HAU Books
7.1.1. The monographs of the Society for Ethnographic Theory shall be published under the name of HAU Books.
7.1.2. The Editorial Collective shall consist of a group of equal Editors. The HAU Books Editorial Collective shall consist of a minimum of two editors and a maximum of seven, appointed by the Board of Directors for a term of four years, renewable by the Board of Directors.
7.1.3. The Board of Directors shall hire a Managing Editor or Senior Editorial Assistants as freelance professionals to support the work of HAU Books.
7.1.4. In case of resignation, the Editors shall give a minimum of three months’ notice.
7.1.5. If the Editorial Collective falls below the minimum number of editors, the Board of Directors will initiate a search and nomination process. During this process, the publishing activities of HAU Books will continue unhindered. If necessary, the Board will appoint an Interim Editor.
Section 2. Duties of the HAU Books Editorial Collective
7.2.1. The HAU Books Editorial Collective is responsible for the overall monographs publication and their promotion, under the direction of the Board of the Directors, and subject to the provisions of these Bylaws.
7.2.2. The Editorial Collective may, subject to authorization and budgetary provisions by the Board, employ clerical and editorial assistance in the form of external freelancers.
7.2.3. The HAU Books Editorial Collective shall render an annual report to the Board of Directors, which upon approval shall be presented to the Annual Business Meeting.
7.2.4. Any new book series or publishing initiative shall be subject to review and approval by the Board of Directors.
Section 3. Stipends, Salaries, and Travel Allowances
7.3.1. The Chair of the Board of Directors, in consultation with the Finance Officer, shall propose appropriate stipends, and/or salaries, and/or honoraria, and/or travel allowances for the members of the HAU Books Editorial Collective to the Board of Directors for approval, according to the available budget.
Section 4. Peer Review
7.4.1. HAU Books Editors will follow the guidelines set out in Best Practices for Peer Review (published by the Association for American University Presses) to assure editorial regularity.
7.4.2. All original monographs, prior to final contract, must be peer reviewed according to industry standards and approved by majority vote of the Editorial Collective.
Section 5. Open Access Policy
7.5.1. Subject to financial viability and copyright permission, HAU Books shall release its titles in both open access (electronic) and print formats. The print versions shall be published under a traditional copyright. The open access versions shall be available under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0 ND-NC 4.0).
Section 6. Stipends, Salaries, and Travel Allowances
7.6.1. The Chair of the Board of Directors shall propose appropriate stipends, and/or salaries, and/or honoraria, and/or travel allowances for the Editorial Collective to the Board of Directors for approval, according to the available budget for HAU Books, and in consultation with the Finance Officer.
Section 7. Sanctions
7.7.1. The Board of Directors shall have the power to remove an Editor of HAU Books for editorial malpractice, inactivity, or abuse of staff, according to the grievance procedure of the organization.
ARTICLE VIII. SCIENTIFIC EDITORIAL BOARD
8.1 There shall be a Scientific Editorial Board who is advisory to the Editorial Collective of HAU Journal and the Editorial Collective of HAU Books. It shall be appointed jointly by the Editorial Collective of HAU Journal and the Editorial Collective of HAU Books. The Scientific Editorial Board shall consist of anthropologists who agree to review at least two articles per year or one special section or special issue or one book manuscript, to provide suitable names for reviewers, to consult with the Editorial Team as needed, to liaise with local libraries for purchase of the journal’s subscription or to support the book series, and to serve in other professionally appropriate ways. They will serve on a voluntary basis. The number of members of the Scientific Editorial Board shall be approximately sixty. Members of the Scientific Editorial Board shall serve four-year terms, renewable.
ARTICLE IX. OTHER AFFILIATES
Section 1. Associate Editors
9.1.1 Any incoming editor of HAU Journal will initially serve as an Associate Editor for a period of up to 3 months before joining the Collective as Editor.
9.1.2 The Board of Directors in consultation with the Editorial Collective may also appoint Honorary Associate Editors and Commissioning Editors. The Honorary Associate Editors and Commissioning Editors shall have specific journal or books domains assigned to them: e.g., unsolicited research manuscripts, special sections, book series, etc.
9.1.3 The number of Associate Editors (including Honorary) shall be no more than two at any given time.
Section 2. Digital Editor
9.2.1 The Board of Directors may decide to appoint a Digital Editor for a term of two years, renewable by the Board of Directors.
9.2.2 The Digital Editor shall work, under the direction of the Board of Directors, to promote the activities of the Society on social media and other online venues. The Digital Editor may coordinate this promotional activity related to new titles and journal content with the respective Editorial Collectives.
9.2.3 The Digital Editor will work with across and independently of HAU Books and HAU Journal.
ARTICLE X. HAU-NET (The Network for Ethnographic Theory)
10.1. HAU-Net shall consist of an international network of anthropology centers, departments, and libraries working together to support the publication of HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory with the University of Chicago Press, the open access publication of HAU Books, and the activities of the Society. Support shall consist of an annual subscription membership to the Society for Ethnographic Theory committed for a three-year period.
10.2 Each HAU-Net institution shall select a representative to serve on the HAU Scientific Board.
ARTICLE XI. FINANCES
11.1. There shall be a Finance Officer responsible for the administration of the finances of the Society, HAU Journal, and HAU Books, subject to budgetary regulations approved by the Board. The Finance Officer is proposed by the Board of Directors and must be approved by the Membership, by vote. Once approved, the Finance Officer shall be appointed for four years by the Board of Directors, with appropriate terms of contract negotiated to the agreement of both parties. The Finance Officer shall be a member of the Society.
11.2. The Finance Officer shall be the Society’s fiscal agent in dealing with all persons and organizations, including issuing invoices and making and claiming payments. The Finance Officer shall be responsible for complying to the Society’ contracts, and the maintenance of proper and adequate records which at all times shall be open to inspection of the Board.
11.3.. At the Annual General Meeting, the Finance Officer shall submit a working budget for the ensuing year. By 1 March of each year, the Finance Officer shall prepare an annual report which is audited according to UK Companies or Charities law requirements before it is formally submitted to the Members for approval.
11.4. One Director shall be designated as the Board’s liaison with the Finance Officer.
11.5. The Board of Directors shall determine appropriate stipend and/or travel allowances for the Finance Officer as needed.
ARTICLE XII. STAFF
Section 1. External Freelancers
12.1.1. The Society may contract with numerous external professionals and freelancers: managing editors and assistants for HAU Books, social media assistants, copy editors, proofreaders, typesetters, translators, graphic designers, IT technicians, web designers, chartered accountants, and legal counselors. Others will be contracted as needed.
Section 2. Pro bono work
12.2.1. Directors and Members of the Scientific Editorial Board shall offer their work pro bono. The Society shall have no unpaid volunteers.
Section 3. Policies
12.3.1. Any and all relevant Society policies, such as those for grievances and conflicts of interest, shall be provided to all staff.
ARTICLE XIII. SANCTIONS AND GRIEVANCES
Section 1. Grievances
13.1.1. The Board of Directors is the body charged with reviewing grievances and issuing sanctions, including removal of any individual serving in any section of the Society for Ethnographic Theory.
13.1.2. In the case of violations of the Articles of Association or the Bylaws, of unethical academic practices as determined by the Board, or of illegal actions, the Board of Directors has the power to impose a sanction on any Director, Member, Editor, or Staff of the Society. A majority vote is required.
13.1.3 In the case of grievances that cannot be resolved within a division of the Society, an individual may petition the Chair of the Board of Directors for review of their grievance. Following review, the Board of Directors will have five options, according to the gravity of the violation: no action necessary, reprimand, probation, suspension, or removal.
Section 2. Ombudsperson
13.2.1. The Society will appoint an Ombudsperson to offer his or her affiliates a safe, confidential channel of communication that can be used to raise concerns or report problems. The Ombudsperson shall be an independent position that is not overseen by or associated with the editorial offices or managerial structures of the Society. The Ombudsperson will be a designated neutral party external to the Society; the Ombudsperson shall be not advocate for any individual nor the organization but rather serve as an advocate for fairness. The Ombudsperson shall be a source of information and referral and will assistant Society’s affiliates by answering questions and assisting in the resolution of concerns or critical situations. The Ombudsperson shall consider any given instance of concern from the point of view of all parties that might be involved. This position shall supplement but not replace any other existing structures for addressing grievances.
13.2.2. The Ombudsperson shall pledge to maintain confidentiality in all matters (to the extent that is legally possible). The Ombudsperson shall bring any issues directly to the Board of Directors as needed, shall prepare periodic reports to document any patterns of problems in existing practices and policies, and recommend revisions and improvements to existing policies.
Section 3. Whistleblower Policy
13.3.1. The Society for Ethnographic Theory shall require all its affiliates to observe the highest standards of professional and personal ethics in the conduct of their duties and responsibilities. All affiliates of SET must practice honesty and integrity in fulfilling responsibilities and comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
13.3.2. The whistleblower policy is intended to encourage and enable all SET’s affiliates to raise serious concerns internally so that inappropriate conduct and actions can be addressed internally and corrected. It is the responsibility of all Board Members, officers, employees, and volunteers to report concerns about ethical or legal violations.
13.3.3. It is contrary to the values of SET for anyone to retaliate against any affiliate who in good faith reports an ethics violation or a suspected violation of law, such as a complaint of discrimination, suspected fraud, or violation of the existing Bylaws and regulations governing SET. A person who retaliates against someone who has reported a violation in good faith is subject to disciplinary measures including reprimand, suspension, or termination of their employment or appointment.
13.3.4. Anyone submitting a written complaint concerning a suspected violation must be acting in good faith and have reasonable grounds for believing the information disclosed indicates a violation. Given the remote nature of relationships within the SET, it is expected that allegations will be substantiated by relevant correspondence. Any allegations that prove not to be substantiated and that prove to have been made maliciously or knowingly to be false will be viewed as a serious disciplinary offense.
13.3.5. Violations or suspected violations may be submitted on a confidential basis by the complainant. To ensure confidentiality, complaints can be submitted through the Ombudsperson. Reports of suspected violations will be kept confidential to the extent possible, consistent with the need to conduct an adequate investigation.
ARTICLE XIV. CONFLICT OF INTEREST POLICY
14.1.1. A conflict of interest is defined as a potential or existing difference between an individual’s personal interest and his or her duty to act solely in the interests of the Society for Ethnographic Theory.
14.1.2. Members of the Society who possess a conflict of interest regarding a particular vote, unless it concerns the objects and composition of the society, shall recuse themselves from the discussion of and voting on that issue.
14.1.3. Members of the Board of Directors who possess a conflict of interest regarding an issue before the Board shall recuse themselves from discussion of and voting on that issue.
ARTICLE XV. AMENDMENTS
15.1.1. These Bylaws may be amended only by majority vote of the Board of Directors and the members of the Society. Amendments may be proposed by the members of the Society or the Board of Directors.
15.1.2. The decision to change this Article or the Objects and Composition of the Society shall require unanimous vote.