Bylaws of the
Society for the Anthropology of Europe

a Section of the American Anthropological Association

(Amended June 2000)

ARTICLE I. Name

Section 1. The Society shall be known as the Society for the Anthropology of Europe (SAE), a Section of the American Anthropological Association, hereinafter referred to as the Society.

ARTICLE II. Purpose

Section 1. The purposes of the Society shall be to advance the anthropological study of European societies and cultures and to encourage communication of the results of such study.

ARTICLE III. Powers

Section 1. The Society shall be autonomous in all matters within its field that are not reserved by the Bylaws of the American Anthropological Association, inimical to the American Anthropological Association's interests, or prohibited by law.

Section 2. The Society shall have an elected President, President-Elect, Secretary, Secretary-Elect, and Treasurer and other elected or appointed officers as set forth in these Bylaws.

Section 3. The Society is empowered to determine membership dues.

Section 4. The Society shall determine voting requirements on all Society matters.

Section 5. The Society may engage in publishing and program activities, appoint editors, committees and other agents, and set publication and program policies appropriate to its purposes.

Section 6. The Society may publish an independent Newsletter.

Section 7. The Society shall adopt and maintain Bylaws or Rules of Procedure consistent with American Anthropological Association Bylaws. The Society shall file with the American Anthropological Association Secretary a copy of its current Bylaws, Rules of Procedure and Table of Organization.

ARTICLE IV. Membership

Section 1. Membership in the Society shall be open to any member in good standing of the American Anthropological Association who supports the above purposes subject to the payment of dues stipulated by the Executive Committee of the Society.

Section 2. Any member in good standing shall be able to hold elective or appointive office, participate in the scientific program, receive publications and have one vote in nominating and electing officers and the transaction of other business of the Society.

Section 3. For just cause, a Member may be deprived of membership by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee of the Society, subject to appeal of the members of the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE V. Dues

Section 1. The Executive Committee of the Society shall set the annual dues of Members and may establish rates for special categories, such as student membership.

Section 2. Any member in arrears in the payment of dues shall lose all membership privileges.

ARTICLE VI. Officers

Section 1. The officers shall be a President, President-Elect, Secretary, Secretary-Elect, and Treasurer.

Section 2. The President shall be the presiding officer of the Society and its first representative on the Section Assembly of the American Anthropological Association.

Section 3. The President-Elect shall assume the duties of the President in the event of absence, death, resignation or incapacity of the President, and shall succeed to the office of President as the expiration of the term as President-Elect.

Section 4. The Secretary shall have charge of the records of the Society. The Secretary shall serve as editor of the Society's section of the Anthropology Newsletter. The Secretary-Elect shall assist with the Secretary's editorial functions.

Section 5. The Treasurer shall have charge of the financial affairs of the Society and shall submit a draft budget for the approval of the Executive Committee of the Society not less than sixty (60) days before the Annual Meeting.

Section 6. The terms of office of all officers shall commence at the conclusion of the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. The terms of the President, President-Elect, and Treasurer shall be two years. The term of the Secretary-Elect shall be one year, followed by one year as Secretary.

Section 7. Any officer may succeed him/herself in office for one consecutive term.

ARTICLE VII. Executive Committee

Section 1. There shall be an Executive Committee consisting of the officers, the Chairs of Program Committee, the Publications and Projects Committee and the Membership and Public Relations Committee (see Article VIII below), two members elected at-large from the membership of the Society, one student member, elected from the student members of the Society, the Editors of H-SAE and the Bulletin, and any additional representatives elected by this Society to the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association.

Section 2. Subject to directives and limitations imposed by the members of the Society, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to execute on behalf of the Society all powers and functions defined in these Bylaws.

Section 3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year at the time of the Annual Meeting and may meet additionally on the call of the President or a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Any member of the Executive Committee may petition to convene at any time.

Section 4. The Executive Committee shall make all nonelective appointments and may make interim appointments to fill vacancies in any elective office until the next regularly scheduled election.

ARTICLE VIII. Standing Committees

Section 1. There shall be the following standing committees in addition to the Executive Committee: the Program Committee, the Publications and Projects Committee, and the Membership and Public Relations Committee.

Section 2. The functions of the Program Committee are to organize invited sessions and special events at Annual Meetings of the American Anthropological Association; to review organized sessions and volunteered papers submitted to the American Anthropological Association under auspices of the SAE; to keep track of other professional meetings of interest to Society members; to act as a clearing house for inquiries concerning panels of Europeanists at the pertinent professional meetings.

Section 3. The functions of the Publication and Projects Committee are to revise, and amend the Society's Directory of Europeanist Anthropologists, to oversee and implement special initiatives and innovations, to oversee outside grant proposals submitted under SAE auspices, be these proposals for support of conferences, publications, or any other purpose approved by the Society, and to attend to all other matters involving publications under SAE auspices.

Section 4. The functions of the Membership and Public Relations Committee are to develop new members for SAE, and to promote and publicize the activities and publications of the SAE and its members.

Section 5. Terms of office of the Publications and Projects Committee and Membership and Public Relations Committee shall be for two years; that of the Program Committee shall be for one year; that of the Program Chair-elect shall be for one year followed by one year as Program Chair. Chairs of standing committees may succeed themselves for one consecutive term. The H-SAE and Bulletin editors shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for three-year terms, with no limit to the number of terms these editors may serve.

Section 6. The Chairs of the standing committees are nominated and elected according to guidelines set forth in Article XII below. The other members shall be appointed by the Chair. The President of the Society is an ex-officio member of all standing committees.

ARTICLE IX. Annual Report

Section 1. At the time of each Annual Meeting, the Executive Committee of the Society shall reports its activities to the Members and to the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association. The report shall include the reports of the Secretary, Treasurer, editors of publications, committees, and other agents representing the Society.

ARTICLE X. Meetings

Section 1. The Society shall hold an Annual Business Meeting at the time of the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association.

Section 2. The place and date of the Annual Meeting shall be published in the Program for the AAA meeting.

Section 3. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee of the Society or upon written request of five (5) percent of the Members.

Section 4. The President of the Society shall preside over the Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE XI. Quorum

Section 1. Five percent of the Members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Business Meeting.

Section 2. A majority of the members of the Executive Committee shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.

Section 3. The business of the Society shall be transacted by majority vote unless otherwise provided in these Bylaws.

ARTICLE XII. Nominations and Elections

Section 1. Candidates for any elective office may be nominated by the Executive Committee of the Society, by a Nominations Committee, or by Members. All candidates shall be Members in good standing of the Society.

Section 2. A Member-at-Large shall act as Chair of the Nominating Committee from the conclusion of balloting conducted by the AAA during their first year in office until the conclusion of balloting in the following year. The Chair shall appoint a Nominations Committee consisting of two additional members and the President of the Society as ex officio member.

Section 3. The Nominations Committee shall nominate at least one person for Secretary-Elect and Treasurer and at least two (2) persons for each other vacant office including the Chairs of the standing committees. The Chair shall prepare and submit the slate in accordance with AAA procedures and deadlines. Members of the Society shall be notified of the nominations via the ballot papers distributed by the AAA.

Section 4. Five (5) percent of the Members in good standing may nominate an additional candidate for any office, provided the nomination is received in writing by the Chair of the Nominations Committee no later than 30 days prior to the AAA deadline for submission of ballot materials.

Section 5. The Secretary or the Treasurer shall inform the prospective nominee of the probable extent of the burden of office. A nomination becomes effective only upon filing with the Chair of the Nominations Committee a statement of willingness and ability to devote such time to the affairs of the Society as necessary to the effective execution of office.

ARTICLE XIII. Balloting

Section 1. A Member in good standing shall be entitled to cast one ballot in any election or referendum.

Section 2. Balloting shall be conducted by the AAA in accordance with their standard procedures.

Section 3. The candidates receiving a simple majority of the votes for a contested office shall be elected; the Executive Committee of the Society shall hold a run-off election within ninety (90) days in the case of a tie.

ARTICLE XIV. Referenda

Section 1. A referendum may be conducted by mail ballot at any time upon initiation of the Executive Committee of the Society, or upon receipt by the Secretary of a petition signed by ten (10) Members in good standing. A simple majority of votes received shall constitute a favorable vote.

ARTICLE XV. Finances

Section 1. The fiscal year of the Society shall be that of the American Anthropological Association.

Section 2. The Society shall submit an annual operating budget to the American Anthropological Association Board of Directors, which, when approved, shall govern Society activities.

Section 3. The income from annual dues and from investments and other sources shall constitute a working fund, available for operating, publication, and current expenses consistent with the purposes of the Society.

Section 4. No financial obligation in excess of funds available in the treasury shall be assumed by the Executive Committee of the Society except that for the purpose of this section. Estimated receipts from annual dues and other accounts receivable for the current year may be considered as available funds.

Section 5. The Society may establish special funds to be administered by the American Anthropological Association for purposes the Society may designate.

ARTICLE XVI. Amendments

Section 1. These Bylaws may be amended by the Members by mail ballot provided that a proposed amendment is approved by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast.

Section 2. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee of the Society or by ten (10) Members in good standing. The Executive Committee shall have the proposed amendment circulated to the Members and it shall allow thirty (30) days for the return of ballots.

Section 3. The amendments and provisions of these Bylaws shall be effective immediately upon adoption and shall supersede and nullify all previous amendments and provisions.

Bylaws of the Society for the Anthropology of Europe