Society for Visual Anthropology

a Section of the American Anthropological Association

(Web page for SVA: http://www.societyforvisualanthropology.org/)

Bylaws of the
Society for Visual Anthropology

a Section of the American Anthropological Association

ARTICLE I. Name

1. The Section shall be known as the Society for Visual Anthropology (hereafter SVA), a Section of the American Anthropological Association (hereafter AAA).
 
 

ARTICLE II. Purposes

1. The purpose for which the SVA is formed is to advance the study of visual anthropology and to encourage communication of the results of such study. Visual anthropology is understood to consist of, but is not limited to, the anthropological or cross-cultural study of: visual symbolic forms, visual theories, and the relationships among different channels and modes of communication; of the visible expression of emotion; of proxemics and other analyses of space and territory; of kinesics and other systematic study of body motion communication and gesture, including dance; of the structuring of reality as denoted by visual productions and artifacts; of art, artifacts, or performance, including cinema; of forms of social organization involved in planning, producing, and using visual signs and systems of signs; of visual approaches to the ethology of human and other life forms; of film/video/photo archiving; of anthropological teaching with visual media; of visual analyses and methods in the professional practice of anthropology; of the use of media in cultural feedback; of the study, production, and use of ethnographic, archeological, or other anthropological film, photography, or video.
 
 

ARTICLE III. Powers

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

 2. The SVA shall adopt and maintain Bylaws consistent with the AAA Bylaws. The SVA shall file with the AAA Secretary a copy of its current Bylaws.
 
 

ARTICLE IV. Membership

1. Membership in the SVA shall be open to any AAA member in good standing who supports the stated purposes of the SVA.

 2. A member in good standing shall be eligible to hold elective or appointive office, participate in the scientific program, receive publications, and have one vote in electing officers and in the transaction of other business of the SVA.
 
 

ARTICLE V. Dues

1. The Executive Board shall set the annual dues of members, and may establish rates for special categories.

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

ARTICLE VI. Officers

1. The SVA shall have three officers: a President, a President-elect or a Past-President, and a Secretary-Treasurer.

 2. The President shall be the presiding officer of the SVA and, should the SVA be entitled to such representation, its first representative on the Board of Directors of the AAA and its representative on the Executive Committee of the AAA.

 3. The President-elect shall succeed to the office of the President at the expiration of the President's term. In the event of the absence, death, resignation, or incapacity of the President, the President-elect shall assume the duties of the President, except in the years when the Past-President is in office, in which case the Past-President will perform the duties of President until the next scheduled election.

 4. The Secretary-Treasurer shall have charge of the records of the SVA. S/he shall submit a draft budget for the approval of the Executive Board of the SVA not less than fifteen (15) days before the Annual Meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer shall serve as editor of the SVA Section column in the Anthropology Newsletter, or shall, with the approval of the SVA Executive Board, appoint an editor.

 5. The term of office of the President shall be two years.

 6. The term of office of President-elect and Past-President shall be one year each. The President-elect shall be elected and take office in even-numbered years and shall move into the office of President in the next odd-numbered year, at which time the outgoing President becomes Past-President for the succeeding year. In any given year there is either a President-elect or a Past-President.

 7. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be appointed by the SVA General Board in consultation with the President. The Secretary-Treasurer may be chosen from among the members of the General Board, in which case s/he also becomes a voting member of the Executive Board during his/her term on the General Board. At the conclusion of her/his term on the General Board, or in the event that s/he is chosen from outside the General Board, the Secretary-Treasurer becomes an ex officio member of both the General Board and the Executive Board.

 8. Any officer, elected or appointed, may be removed by two-thirds of the votes cast by SVA members voting by mail ballot.
 
 

ARTICLE VII. General Board and Executive Board

1. The General Board shall consist of 12 members elected from the membership of SVA, and shall include the elected officers. Members of the General Board serve a three-year term, with the exception of the officer fulfilling the sequence of President-elect, President, Past-President, who will serve on the General Board for four years from the time of her/his installation as President-elect. When a President-elect exists, the Past-President is not on the SVA General Board. Only in the year when no President-elect exists does the immediate Past-President sit on the Board.

 2. Subject to directives and limitations imposed by the members of the SVA, the General Board shall have the authority to govern the SVA and to execute on behalf of the SVA all powers and functions defined by these Bylaws. The Executive Board shall carry this out in practice, as delegated by the General Board.

 3. The General Board shall meet at least once annually, at the time of the Annual Meeting of the AAA, and may meet additionally on the call of the President or of a majority vote of the Executive Board.

 4. The General Board shall make all non-elective appointments. The positions of Editor of the Visual Anthropology Review, Director of SVA Film and Video Festival, Organizer of the Visual Research Conference and Program Editor of the SVA program for the AAA meetings shall be designated as non-elective appointments. A person holding one of these positions becomes an ex-officio member of the General Board at the conclusion of her/his term on the General Board or in the event that s/he is chosen from outside the General Board.

 5. In the event of the death, resignation or removal of an officer, the General Board may appoint a successor to fill the unexpired term until the next regularly scheduled election.

 6. There shall be an Executive Board consisting of the three officers, and two other members to be elected by the General Board from among its membership. When the Secretary-Treasurer is not an elected member of the General Board, but is serving ex officio, then three members are to be elected by the General Board from among its membership.

 7. The terms of all elected officers shall begin at the conclusion of the AAA Annual Meeting.
 
 

ARTICLE VIII. Annual Report

1. At the time of each Annual Meeting, the SVA General Board shall report its activities to the members and to the Board of Directors of the AAA. The report shall include, but is not limited to, the reports of the Secretary-Treasurer, editors of publications, committees, and other agents representing the SVA.
 
 

ARTICLE IX. Meetings

1. The SVA shall hold a Members' Meeting at the time of the Annual Meeting of the AAA.

 2. The place and date of this meeting shall be disclosed to the members in the AAA Annual Meeting Preliminary Program.

 3. The SVA General Board shall appoint a Program Chair who shall organize the SVA sessions of the scientific program which will be presented at the AAA Annual Meeting.

 4. Special meetings may be called by the General Board or upon written request of five (5) percent of the members.
 
 

ARTICLE X. Quorum

1. Five (5) percent of the members in good standing shall constitute a quorum at the Annual Members' Meeting.

 2. A majority of the members of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for transacting Executive Board business. A majority of the General Board shall constitute a quorum for General Board business.

 3. The business of whatever group is meeting shall be transacted by majority vote unless otherwise provided by these Bylaws.
 
 

ARTICLE XI. Nominations

1. Candidates for any elective office may be nominated by the Executive Board, by a Nominations Committee, and/or by members. All candidates shall be members in good standing of the SVA. It is the responsibility of the Executive Committee to make sure the SVA General Board is composed of 12 members and to determine how many slots need to be filled annually.

 2. If nominations are made by committee, then a Nominations Committee of three (3) members shall be appointed annually by the General Board.

 3. Five (5) percent of the members in good standing may nominate one or more candidates for any office, provided that the nomination is received in writing by the Secretary-Treasurer not later than February 1.

 4. Whenever possible, two (2) persons shall be nominated for each vacant office. These nominations shall be made known to the membership by publication in the Anthropology Newsletter in May of each year.

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

ARTICLE XII. Elections

1. Ballots shall be secret and enclosed in a signed envelope. The Executive Board of SVA and the Executive Committee of AAA shall have the authority to examine the eligibility of any voter.

 2. Thirty (30) days shall be allowed for the return of ballots. To be counted, ballots must be received by the AAA not later than the stated return date.

 3. The candidate receiving the most votes for an office shall be the winning candidate. The Executive Committee of the AAA shall hold a runoff election within ninety (90) days to resolve all ties.
 
 

ARTICLE XIII. Referenda

1. A referendum may be conducted by mail ballot at any time upon initiation of the Executive Board, or upon receipt by the Secretary-Treasurer of a petition signed by five (5) percent of the members in good standing. A majority of votes received shall constitute a favorable vote.
 
 

ARTICLE XIV. Finances

1. The fiscal year of the SVA shall be that of the AAA.

 2. The SVA shall submit to the AAA Board of Directors an annual operating budget, which, when approved, shall govern SVA activities.

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

 4. No financial obligation in excess of funds available in the treasury shall be assumed by the Executive Board or by any officer on behalf of the SVA 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.

 5. The SVA may establish special funds to be administered by the AAA for purposes the SVA may designate.
 
 

ARTICLE XV. Amendments

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

 2. Amendments may be proposed by the General Board or by five (5) percent of the members in good standing.

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