Minutes of the Executive Council Meeting, April 4,
1998
Present: David Apter, Larry Diamond, Ronald Rogowski, David Stark and
Ivan Szelenyi. Absent: Mattei Dogan
1. Present and future of the Society of Comparative Research (Society)
The Executive Council (Council) discussed the state of the Society for
Comparative Social Research.
The Council noted that the Society was moribund for quite some time.
The members of the Council expressed their strong belief that the Society
could and should perform an important function what no other scholarly
society perform at present. This Society is the only international organization
of a select group of distinguished scholars which explores social
issues from a truly global and interdisciplinary perspective.
The Council decided to reinvigorate the Society in novel ways. The Society
will not act in conjuncture with meetings of other scientific associations
as was the practice in the past but will engage in its own research activities.
We will establish an interactive community of comparativists by using the
internet, and we will turn ourselves into a "virtual research institute"
of a new kind. It was decided that we will take three major new initiatives:
1/ Conferences.
During 1998 we organize two scholarly conferences.
A/ Globalization, convergence and divergence
Convener: Ron Rogowski
B/ Social construction of difference
Conveners: David Apter and Larry Diamond
We will organize these conferences in new ways. By June 1 we will post
a position paper by Ron Rogowski and David Apter/Larry Diamond on the Web
site of the Society. We will invite members of the Society to write papers
in response to the position papers. We will ask discussant to comments
both on the papers and there will be an opportunity for rebuttals. All
papers, comments, rebuttals will be posted on the Web site of the Society
and will be accessible by all members of the Society. Posting of papers
and comments will be done by the Executive Director who normally will only
post papers and comments of the members of the society.
These virtual conferences will be conducted over the time-span
of two or three months. As the virtual conferences end, the conveners
will decide whether the papers presented at the virtual conferences are
of sufficient interest so funding can be obtained from foundations, in
order to bring the conference participants together for further discussion,
and possible for the preparation collaborative grant proposals together
in the same time in the same geographic location, for an actual conference.
It was decided that the Society will organize at least three such virtual
conferences every year. Those members of the Society who would like to
organize a virtual conference should send a proposal to the Executive Director
by September 1 of the year prior they intend to held their conference.
We believe this is an exciting new way of scholarly interaction and
we also believe that Foundation will ve greatly interested to support these
activities.
2/ Training retreats
We decided that we will held a faculty-graduate student Training Retreat
of comparativists every year. The first such Training Retreat will
be held on May 6-8, 1999 at the Lake Arrowhead conference Center of
UCLA. The convener of the first Training Retreat is Ron Rogowski and Ivan
Szelenyi. The second Training Retreat will be organized on the East Coast
by Columbia University and Yale University. This retreat will be convened
by David Apter and David Stark.
Members of the Society will be invited to attend these retreats and
bring their graduate students along. Those members of the Society who are
interested to participate in these retreats should contact to conveners.
North American and West European Universities will be expected to cover
the expenses of their faculty and graduate students, but the Council will
seek funding from Foundations to bring faculty and graduate students to
the Training Retreats from Eastern Europe, countries of the former Soviet
Union and from the Third World.
The purpose of the Training Retreats is to offer an opportunity the
graduate students working on comparative social research to present
their dissertation proposals or chapters of their dissertations to each
other and to faculty. We also will organize session at which faculty will
present work-in-progress papers.
3/ Awards.
The Council decided to give one Book Award for the best comparativist
book every year and one Dissertation Award to the best comparativist dissertation
every year.
The Council also asked the Executive Director and to explore ways to
create an endowment for both awards. The Council will decide at its annual
meetings who the awardees will be.
II/ The Council decided to invite a group of scholars to become members
of the Society:
III/ The Council discussed what changes are necessary in the Bylaws
of the Society for Comparative Social Research.
The Council decided to make only those changes at this time, which are
absolutely necessary to allow the proper functioning of the Society and
wait for further changes until the Society is functioning again. The Council
recommends to the membership to adopt the following changes in the bylaws:
1/ Delete point 2. In paragraph 1.
2/ Delete point 2/c in paragraph 2.
3/ In point 1, paragraph 5 delete the word ôannualö
4/ In point 8, paragraph 5 delete the word ôannualö
5/ Replace point 2 of paragraph 6 with the following text:
"The Executive Council shall consist of at least 7 or at most of 9
members. The Executive Council with simple majority elects the
Executive Director. The Executive Council may decide to make decisions
by electronic means if necessary."
6/ Replace in the bylaws the words "the Chair", "the vice-Chair," and
"the Secretary" with the "Executive Director." The Executive Director will
assume the responsibilities assigned in the previous bylaws to the Chair,
Vice--Chair and Secretary.
6/ Delete point 4 in paragraph 6.
7/ Delete note after paragraph 7.
IV/ The Council instructed the Executive Director to take the following
actions:
1/ Contact all old and new members and in a mail ballot ask them to
approve the recommended changes in the bylaws;
2/ Contact all old members and inform them that the Society in accordance
with its new policies will held no meeting in conjuncture with the
ISA meeting this year in Montreal;
3/ Inform all old and new members about the new initiatives the Council
decided to take on behalf of the Society.
V/ The Council decided to hold its next regular meeting on May 8, 1999
at Lake Arrowhead, California.
The Council adjourned at 4:00 PM on April 5, 1998.
Minutes were taken by Ivan Szelenyi
Please submit all questions and comments to
|