General Information, Benefits of Affiliation, and Application Process

 

General Information

 

The Constitution of ASECS states that “Applications for affiliation to the Society by local, regional, and other scholarly organizations may be accepted by the Executive Board when, ascertaining that the nature and activity of the organization reflect the purposes of the Society, it deems such affiliation appropriate. The affiliation shall continue until the Executive Board accedes to the request of an affiliated society to dissolve the affiliation, or so long as the nature and activity of the affiliated organization reflect the purposes of the Society.”

 

There are presently 36 Affiliate Societies.

 

Benefits of Affiliation

 

ASECS Annual Meeting

 

Societies affiliated with ASECS are guaranteed one sponsored session at the ASECS Annual Meeting. The topic of the session is usually approved automatically, but revision might be required—for example, if another affiliate or caucus proposes a similar topic. If session information is not submitted by the deadline for the Call for Panels, the session may not be included in the Call for Papers.

 

ASECS members who are also members of Affiliate Societies may submit session proposals, separate from the guaranteed session proposal, for consideration in the general pool. If those proposals are accepted, the session may be listed as sponsored by the Affiliate Society.

 

Each Affiliate Society may send a representative to the Affiliates Luncheon at the ASECS Annual Meeting.

 

Affiliate Societies may request space in which to hold general membership meetings during the ASECS Annual Meeting, normally on Friday evenings. These meetings can be listed in the Annual Meeting program.

 

Publication in Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture

 

Papers presented at meetings of ASECS Affiliate Societies may be submitted for publication in the ASECS Annual Journal SECC.

 

Applying for Affiliation

 

In 2015, the ASECS Executive Board voted to suspend approving Affiliate Society applications unless vacancies arise due to affiliates withdrawing their membership or ceasing to exist. Societies interested in affiliation may still apply but should be aware of this policy.

 

If a society decides to apply for affiliate status, the application must explain the value the affiliate could add to ASECS. Would the sessions it sponsored at the Annual Meeting bring a new element to ASECS programming? Would members of the Affiliate Society be more likely to join ASECS, attend our Annual Meeting, or submit to our journals, if the society were affiliated?

 

The application process itself simply requires a formal letter, addressed to the Executive Director, that describes the goals, history, and scope of the society and explains how its interests support or complement the goals of ASECS. The letter should describe how (if at all) the society or its members already participate in ASECS. The application also requires a copy of the organization’s constitution and bylaws and a list of its officers.