Bylaws

I. Name and Purpose

Article I. Name

The name of the organization shall be Islam in Africa Studies Group and shall be known as IASG.

Article II Purpose

A. The IASG is an independent professional society established in the United States that is open to all scholars of Islam in Africa, from any nation, academic discipline and/or professional interest.

B. The specific aims of the organization are the following:

  1. To promote scholarly research, both within and outside Africa, in all areas and disciplines of the social sciences and humanities relevant to Islam in Africa.
  2. To encourage international cooperation and facilitate the exchange of ideas and meaningful dialogue among persons engaged in research on Islam in Africa.
  3. To encourage the publication and dissemination of scholarly and artistic works as well as primary sources on Islam in Africa.
  4. To organize panels, symposia, and conferences on Islam in Africa at meetings of regional, national and international organizations.
  5. To provide the general public with information on issues of historical, cultural, and contemporary interest in Islam in Africa.

IV. Organization of the Islam in Africa Studies Group (IASG)

Article I. Steering Committee

Section 1. The business of the IASG shall be managed by the Officers of the Group via a seven (7) member Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall consist of elected Officers of the Group and three (3) members at large, all of whom will be voting members of the Steering Committee.

Section 2. The Steering committee shall be elected at the Group’s business meeting which will be held annually at the meeting of the African Studies Association. Separate elections for the positions of The Chair, Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be held at the business meeting.

Section 3. Any Committee member may resign at any time, provided such a resignation is made in writing. Any Committee member may be removed by a vote of two-thirds majority of members of record.

Article II. Elected Officers

Section 1. Term Lengths

(a) The officers shall serve for a term of three years and the Secretary and the Treasurer shall be elected on alternate years from the other officers.

(b) The Vice-Chair/Chair-elect shall serve for one term, then shall become Chair for an additional term. [replace with shall serve for an additional year]

(c) Officers must be dues-paying members in good standing. The officer’s term begins upon his/her election by the members at the annual meeting.

(d) Any member of the IASG who wishes to stand for election to any of these positions shall transmit a statement of candidacy to the membership at least one week before the elections via the Group’s listserv.

(e) Any officer who expects to be unable to fulfill his/her duties adequately for a year or more shall resign with the option of standing for re-election at another time.

Section 2. Officer’s Duties

(a) The Chair or the Chair’s designee shall preside at all meetings of the members of the Steering Committee and all business meetings of the Group. She/He shall, in general, supervise and manage all the business and affairs of the Group. She/He shall have authority and power, in the name of the Group, to sign checks, drafts, notes, and orders for the payment of money by the Group.

The Chair shall designate committees and assign duties to the members of the Steering Committee as she/he deems necessary to carry out specific duties related to the activities of the Group. Such committees and their appointed heads shall dissolve immediately after their specific duties have been accomplished.

(b) The Vice-Chair/Chair-Elect shall, in the absence or disability of the Chair, perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Chair.

(c) The Secretary shall serve as secretary of the Group. She/He will record the minutes of both Committee and regular business meetings and make the minutes available to the Chair for distribution via the Group Listserv. The Secretary is responsible for maintaining the Group archives and for serving as custodian of other valuable documents of the Group.

(d) The Treasurer shall oversee  the Group’s funds and manage them and dues paying member records in coordination with the finance manager of the ASA (accounting@africanstudies.org) to pay invoices and disburse funds as agreed upon by the Steering Committee. She/He shall have authority and power to endorse, on behalf of the Group, checks, notes, and other obligations, and deposit same to the credit of the Group in such bank or banks as the Steering Committee may designate. She/He shall record the income and expenditures of the Group and give a full written report of all monies received and paid out at the annual business meeting of the membership.

Article III. Members at Large

Section 1. Terms Length

(a) The members at large shall serve for a term of three years. In addition to attending IASG meetings, members-at-large may be tasked with various duties at the chair’s related to the organization’s mission: including chairing panels at African Studies Association, coordinating listserv emails, and corresponding with membership.

(b) Members at large must be dues-paying members in good standing. The members at large’s term begins upon his/her election by the members at the annual meeting.

(c) Any member of the IASG who wishes to stand for election to the Steering Committee shall transmit a statement of candidacy to the membership at least one week before the elections via the Group’s listserv.

(d) Any member at large who expects to be unable to fulfill his/her duties adequately for a year or more shall resign with the option of standing for re-election at another time.

Section 2. Members at Large’ Duties

(a) The members at large shall serve on the Steering Committee of the Group assist in the decision-making process of that body and serve on sub-committees as assigned by the Chair.

(b) Particular duties of the members at large include Webmaster and Membership Coordinator. Each of these offices will be appointed by the Steering Committee Chair.

  1. Webmaster’s duties: The webmaster will oversee the administration of the Group’s web presence. This will include both management of the official website including the addition of material on a regular basis as well as the deletion of out-of-date material. In addition, the webmaster will oversee the Group’s presence in social media via outlets such as Facebook.
  2. Membership Coordinator duties: The listserv coordinator will oversee the functioning of the Group’s listserv. He/she will post official communications from the Steering Committee as well as take on the role of list moderator. She/he will also maintain a current list of all Listserv members.

Article III. Vacancies Among Officers

Section 1. If the office of any officer becomes vacant, the remaining members of the Steering Committee shall elect any qualified person to fill such a vacancy, who shall hold such office for the unexpired term and until a successor is elected at the Group’s annual meeting.

Section 2. An interim appointee named by the Steering Committee may stand for election at the end of the unexpired term and will begin a regular term upon election at the annual meeting.

Article IV. Meetings

Section 1. A business meeting of the members shall be held annually at the meeting of the African Studies Association. At the annual meeting, any vacant post on the Steering Committee will be filled. Members not in attendance may vote in such elections by written proxy, or via internet vote through a secure site accessible only to members of record.

Section 2. Special meetings of the members, for any purpose, may be called by the Chair of the Group or the Steering Committee. The notice for such special meetings shall state the purpose thereof.

Section 3. Announcements of meetings, schedules and draft agendas shall be distributed via email in advance of the meeting. Minutes shall be distributed to the membership via the Group Listserv.

Section 4. Priority will be given to agenda items which have been submitted in writing in advance of the meeting, and for which documentation has been distributed, where relevant. Documentation must be provided if the issue in question calls for a vote.

Article V. Dues

Section 1. Membership Dues Categories shall include the following

(a) Regular Faculty

(b) Students

(c) Faculty and Students based at African Institutions (who will be granted membership in the Group free of charge.

Section 2. From time to time, the Steering will review the financial status of the Group and set the dues levels for each category of membership accordingly. Any change in dues levels shall come to the membership for a vote (passing with a simple majority) and shall take effect the 1st of January of the year following the annual meeting (i.e., changes enacted by the Steering Committee at any point in any year will take effect on January 1 of the following year).

Section 3. Membership in the Group is by calendar year. Members may specify the calendar year to which dues are to be applied.

Article VI. Voting

Section 1. Each member of record shall be entitled to one vote on each matter submitted to a vote of the members. For the transaction of normal business and the election of the Steering Committee, a simple majority vote by members of record at the annual meeting shall suffice. For the removal of a member of the Steering Committee or to change the By-Laws, a vote by two-thirds of the dues-paying members of record is required.

Voting for officers shall take place by secret ballot. Any other action to be taken by vote of the members shall be authorized by a majority of the votes cast at a meeting by the members of record.

Article VII. Amendment and Repeal of By-Laws

Section 1. These By-Laws may be amended, repealed, or adopted by two-thirds of the dues paying members, either by email vote or in person at the annual meeting.