Bylaws of the
Society for Psychological Anthropology

a Section of the American Anthropological Association

(Amended December 1, 2002)

ARTICLE I. Name

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Society for Psychological Anthropology, a section of the American Anthropological Association.

ARTICLE II. Purposes

Section 1. The Society is intended to be a broad, multidisciplinary organization of individuals interested in cultural, psychological, and social interrelations at all levels. Its purposes are (a) to promote, advance and stimulate interest, research, and communication in those closely related and extensively overlapping fields known variously as psychological anthropology, culture and personality studies, cognitive anthropology, psychoanalytic and psychocultural studies, psychohistory, psychoanalytic and psychiatric anthropology, transcultural psychiatry, ethnographic psychology, and such other related fields as may be designated by the Society; (b) to encourage both professional and public interest in the research aims of psychological anthropology; (c) to publish and to encourage the publication of the results of research in psychological anthropology, and (d) serve as a bond among those interested in these diverse but related fields of inquiry.

ARTICLE III. Powers

Section 1. The Society shall have the power to receive, administer, and disburse dues, assessments, and other grants to further its ends; to publish newsletters, reports, bulletins, journals, and monographs; to affiliate with other organizations in the pursuit of common aims, and to appoint delegates or representatives to such organizations; and to engage in such other activities in keeping with the objects of the Society that are not reserved by the Bylaws of the American Anthropological Association, inimical to the interests of the Association or prohibited by law.

Section 2. No part of the net receipts of the Society for Psychological Anthropology shall insure to the benefit of or be distributable to its members, officers, committee members, or other private persons, except that the Society shall be authorized and empowered to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes of the Society as set forth in these Bylaws.

Section 3. The Society shall not attempt to influence legislation, and it shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Articles of Incorporation and these Bylaws, the Society shall not carry on any other activities which are proscribed for organizations exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954 (or the corresponding provision of any future Internal Revenue Code) or which are proscribed for organizations to which contributions are deductible under 170(c)(2) of the Internal Revenue Code (or the corresponding section of any future Internal Revenue Code).

ARTICLE IV. Membership

Section 1. Membership shall be open to any member in good standing of the American Anthropological Association who is in sympathy with the objectives of the Society, as set forth in Article II, without regard to age, sex, race, religion, or nationality.

Section 2. Membership in the Society shall include regular and student memberships except that the Board of Directors shall have the authority to establish special classes of membership such as Life Members, Benefactors, or such others as they deem fit.

Section 3. Application for membership shall be in writing.

Section 4. Any library, museum, university, school, or other institution may subscribe to the publications of the Society without privilege of membership.

Section 5. Annual dues, subscriptions, and other fees shall be fixed by the Board of Directors.

Section 6. Each member shall have one vote in the transaction of the business of the Society and shall be eligible for any elective or appointive office in the Society, subject only to restrictions defined elsewhere in these Bylaws. Each member shall receive all the Society's regular publications for the year covered by the member's dues.

Section 7. The Board of Directors may, after notice and such hearing as circumstances require, by a majority vote, remove from the membership rolls any member whose acts are contrary to the standards of the Society as promulgated from time to time. The action of the Board of Directors may be subject to an appeal to the Society at its Annual Meeting.

ARTICLE V. Organization

Section 1. The officers of the Society shall consist of a President, a President-elect, a Secretary/Treasurer, a Newsletter Editor, an editor of Ethos, a Book Editor, an Electronic Publications Editor, and a Student Representative.

Section 2. The Board of Directors, all of whom shall have voting privileges, shall consist of the President, President-elect, four elected members, an elected Student Representative, a Secretary/Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Ethos Editor, Book Editor, and Electronic Publications Editor.

Section 3. The President-elect shall be elected for a two-year term at the conclusion of which the President-elect shall succeed to the Presidency to serve a two-year term. The Secretary/Treasurer, the Newsletter Editor, and the Electronic Publications Editor shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for staggered four-year terms. The Ethos Editor and the Book Editor shall be appointed for staggered five-year terms. The Student Representative shall be elected for a two-year term. Four additional members of the Board of Directors shall be elected for a four-year term each, two to be elected every two years. The terms of all officers shall begin at the annual New SPA Board meeting held either during the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association or the Biannual Meeting of the Society for Psychological Anthropology. The President shall assume AAA Board responsibilities at the conclusion of the AAA Annual Meeting.

Section 4. No officer of the Society shall be eligible for reelection to the same office, until one year following expiration of the term of that office. Appointed members may be re-appointed by a majority vote of the Board.

Section 5. Subject to general directives and limitations imposed by the membership, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to execute on behalf of the Society all powers and functions of the Society as defined in these Bylaws.

Section 6. The Board of Directors shall appoint editors to serve for a period and upon conditions decided by the Board at the time of their appointment.

Section 7. In the event of a vacancy in any elected office, the Board of Directors shall have the power to make interim appointment to the office until the time of the next election. Individuals so appointed to interim terms may be elected to that office for an immediate subsequent term.

ARTICLE VI. Duties of Officers and Appointees

Section 1. The President shall be the presiding officer of the Society and chairperson of the Board of Directors. The President shall exercise all the duties and responsibilities commonly associated with this office. The President shall serve as the Society's first representative on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee of the American Anthropological Association in the event the Society is entitled to such representation. Acting on the advice and consent of the Board of Directors, the President shall appoint necessary committees and define their duties, appoint representatives of the Society to other societies, agencies, or councils, and select representatives from such organizations. The actions of the President in exercising the duties and responsibilities of the office shall be subject to review and approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. In the absence, death, resignation, or incapacity of the President, the duties of the office shall be assumed by the President-elect. The President-elect shall be the Society's second representative on the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association in the event the Society is entitled to such representation.

Section 3. The Secretary/Treasurer, subject to the directives of the Board of Directors, shall have charge of administrative matters under the direction of the President, and serve as Secretary to the Board of Directors. In addition, the Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the maintenance of proper and adequate records which at all times shall be open to inspection by the Board of Directors. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for the administration of the finances of the Society subject to provisions in these Bylaws and be the Society's fiscal agent in dealing with other persons or organizations.

Section 4. The Newsletter Editor shall have charge of the SPA Section news in the Anthropology Newsletter.

Section 5. The Ethos Editor shall have charge of the journal Ethos. The Editor shall be responsible for appointing and working closely with an editorial board. The Editor shall ensure that the journal conforms to its mission statement and that submissions be appropriately reviewed. The Editor shall report to the Board of Directors annually.

Section 6. The Book Editor shall be responsible for all books and book series published under the auspices of the Society. The Editor shall report to the Board of Directors annually.

Section 7. The Electronic Publications Editor shall be responsible for development and maintenance of the SPA website, and for administration of the Society Listserv. The Electronic Publications Editor shall report to the Board of Directors annually.

Section 8. The Student Representative shall be responsible for advising the Board about the needs and interests of student members, as well as means of involving students in Society activities. The Student Representative shall report to the Board of Directors annually.

Section 9. The Board of Directors shall meet at least once each year prior to the Annual Meeting and at the call of the President may hold additional meetings as required. Special meetings of the Board of Directors shall be called by the President at any time upon written demand of at least three members of the Board.

Section 10. A quorum of the Board of Directors shall consist of a majority of its membership.

Section 11. The Board of Directors shall act upon the budget provided by the Treasurer no later than the second day of the Annual Meeting.

Section 12. At the time of the Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors shall report its activities to the membership and to the Board of Directors of the American Anthropological Association. The report shall include the reports of officers, editors, committees, and other agents.

Section 13. Any member of the Board of Directors who misses two meetings shall be subject to removal for nonattendance at meetings of the Board. Written notification of this possibility shall be provided after the first missed meeting with dismissal action possible by a vote of two-thirds of the Board of Directors during, or subsequent to, the second missed meeting. Such vacated office shall be filled immediately in accordance with Article V, Section 7.

ARTICLE VII. Nominations and Elections

Section 1. A Nominations Committee of no fewer than three members shall be appointed by the Board of Directors for three-year terms. One member of the Board of Directors shall serve on the Nominations Committee.

Section 2. Each year the Nominations Committee shall nominate a slate of at least six potential candidates for each elected office that is open and submit these names to the Board of Directors for review at its annual meeting. The Board will rank the names and return the list to the Nominations Committee which shall then contact candidates seriatim and forward to the Secretary/Treasurer those candidates' names who have agreed to run for election. The Secretary/Treasurer shall send these nominations to the AAA headquarters according to the Section nomination and election schedule.

Section 3. Any five members of the Society or one percent of the membership, whichever is greater, may nominate candidates for any office provided such nominations are received in writing by the Nominating Committee 90 days prior to the Annual Meeting. All nominees shall be required to submit written notification of their willingness to serve if elected.

Section 4. Each active member shall be entitled to vote for one candidate for each office. Voting shall be by mail ballot. No identification of the voter shall appear on the ballot. Ballots shall be mailed to the active members at least 60 days before the Annual Meeting. To be counted as votes, ballots must be received no later than 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. The results of the elections shall be announced by the Board of Directors at the Annual Meeting. The candidate for an office who receives the highest number of votes shall be elected to that office. In the event of a tie vote, the membership present at the Business Meeting of the Annual Meeting shall vote.

ARTICLE VIII. Meetings

Section 1. The Society shall hold an Annual Business Meeting at the time of the Annual Meeting of the American Anthropological Association. A quorum for this meeting shall be 25 members of the Society or five percent of the membership, whichever is greater. All business to be brought up at the Annual Meeting shall be submitted in writing no later than 30 days prior to the Annual Meeting. Any action taken shall be ratified by a mail ballot subsequent to the meeting.

Section 2. The place and date of the next Annual Meeting shall be disclosed to the membership no later than 60 days in advance of the date of the meeting.

ARTICLE IX. Referendum

Section 1. Any matters of business of the Society may be decided by means of a referendum vote by mail ballot under conditions specified in the Bylaws.

Section 2. A referendum vote shall be held by mail ballot at any time upon the initiation of the Board of Directors or a signed petition to the Board of Directors by one percent of the individual membership. Ballots shall be mailed to members and must be received by the Society not more than 30 days after the date when they were mailed. A majority of votes received shall constitute the deciding vote.

ARTICLE X. 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 which, when approved, shall govern Society activities.

Section 3. Annual dues shall be payable on a date set by the Board of Directors. Members in arrears shall not be entitled to receive the Society's publications or to vote, and those one year in arrears shall, after written notification, be dropped from the rolls.

Section 4. The income from annual dues and from investments and other sources shall constitute the Working Fund, available for operating, publication, and current expenses consistent with the purposes of the Society as the Board of Directors may determine.

Section 5. No financial obligation in excess of funds available in the treasury shall be assumed by the Board of Directors or by any officer on behalf of the Society except when approved by a two-thirds vote of the membership, provided 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.

ARTICLE XI. Amendments

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

Section 2. Amendments may be proposed by the Board of Directors or by five members of the Society or one percent of the membership, whichever is greater. The proposed amendments shall be mailed to the members of the Society at least 60 days prior to the Annual Meeting or Special Meeting. To be counted as votes, ballots must be received not more than 30 days from the date they were mailed out.

Section 3. The amendment and provisions of these Bylaws shall be effective immediately upon adoption and shall supersede and nullify all previous enactments in conflict with them.

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