Mission statement
The International Society for First World War Studies was founded by Jenny Macleod and Pierre Purseigle in the run-up to the first European Conference in First World War Studies, held at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Lyons (France), on the 7th and 8th of September, 2001.
This conference gathered together an international group of postgraduate and postdoctoral scholars dedicated to the study of the First World War. The conference aimed to create the conditions of an academic debate that would cut across national and disciplinary boundaries. It also intended to give young researchers the opportunity to present and discuss their work, in a collegial fashion, with more senior scholars in the field.
Building on the enthusiastic response to this event, the Society has since become an international network of scholars that spans generations and continents alike to support the historical study of the First World War.
The Society organizes or sponsors conferences, seminars, workshops, reading groups and publications to promote the study of the First World War, to foster international collaboration, to encourage the comparative history of the war, and to facilitate exchanges across disciplines and generations of scholars. It also maintains a website dedicated to these goals.
The Society and its members are especially committed to the establishment and development of a professional yet collegial academic forum, open to any scholar, irrespective of his or her degree of academic seniority or disciplinary affiliation. However, encouraging work by scholars who are relatively new to the field remains an overriding objective. Hence every initiative or event organized or sponsored by the Society must give pride of place to postgraduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career researchers. In this way, the Society strives to encourage and promote any innovative study of the First World War.
The Society acknowledges the contribution of other groups and institutions to the study of the First World War. In keeping with the objectives herewith stated, it will therefore establish collaborations and partnerships with other learned or academic societies, research centres, universities, libraries and museums.
The Society recognises, in particular, the necessity for academic historians to engage with other historians of the war and with the wider audience interested in the subject. While committed to the preservation of its intellectual autonomy, the Society is therefore committed, through the individual and collective works of its members, to enhancing the public understanding of the First World War.
2. Membership of the society
2.1 Membership of the society is open to anyone who pays a subscription.
2.2 Membership is administered per calendar year. All memberships should be renewed by the end of December, ready for the following year.
2.3 Postgraduates and the unwaged will pay a lower subscription rate for membership of the society. This should be set an affordable rate.
2.4 The overall subscription fee comprises a membership fee plus the cost of the journal.
2.4 Members receive access to the email discussion list and a copy of each issue of the society’s journal and/or online access to it through our publisher’s website.
3. Fellows of the society
3.1 The society recognises the contribution of volunteers to its activities by acknowledging them as ‘Fellows’ of the society.
3.2 Fellowship is earned by making a significant and sustained contribution to the society, such as running a conference, or participating in the online team.
3.3 Any member may propose herself or himself for consideration, or may be proposed by another member (with the permission of the nominee).
3.4 Members are elected to the Fellowship after a vote by the Board of Directors. Successful Fellows should have the support of 50% of the Board.
3.5 If a proposal for a fellowship is rejected, they have the right to receive guidance from the Board on what further activities in the service of the society might be required in order to successfully apply in the future.
4. Executive Committee of the Society
4.1 The leadership of the society is in the hands of a small number of volunteers, who will work to further the society’s mission statement, in collaboration with other members of the Board of Directors. They will consult and inform the Board of Directors about important decisions.
4.1.1 Important decisions that require consultation with the Board of Directors include, but are not limited to, the location, timing and theme of the society’s conference; changes of key personnel including the web team, and any financial commitment above £500.
4.2 The named roles in the Executive Committee are as follows:
● President
● Treasurer
● Membership and Society Secretary
● Website Director
● Participation and Development Officer
● Publications and Content Officer
4.3 The responsibilities of the Executive Committee are as follows:
President
● to lead the development of the society
● to identify the conference teams for forthcoming society conferences
● to represent the Society externally
● to chair the meeting of the AGM
● to organise the election of the next group of officer-holders
● signatory to bank account
● To administer the judging of the President’s Undergraduate Essay Prize
Treasurer
As Vice-President, to deputise for the President as necessary
● custodian of the society’s finances
● to receive and deposit membership subscriptions
● to arrange transfer of funds to support society activities
● to present a summary of the society’s finances at AGM
● signatory to bank account
● To administer the Grants and Awards committees
Membership and Society Secretary
● Owner of the society’s email discussion list
● Keeper of membership records
● Liaison with publisher re membership matters
● Liaison with members re contact details & subscription matters
● To take minutes of all Society meetings including of the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, and the AGM
Web Director
● To lead the society’s online presence
● To recruit members of the online team
● To ensure web hosting provision
Participation and Development Officer
● To lead the society’s events programme
● To further the society’s aims to increase and diversify its membership
● To liaise with the Membership and Society Secretary to create opportunities for the society’s membership
Publications and Content Officer
● To lead the society’s social media accounts
● To facilitate publications and outputs from the society’s members
● To liaise with the Webmaster in populating the society’s website and YouTube channel
4.4 The appointment of office holders
4.4.1 Office holders must be Fellows of the society
4.4.2 Office holders will hold their position for three years. Their position is renewable, if they choose to stand for election once more.
4.4.3 Office holders will be self-nominated and will be elected by the members of the society. One member, one vote, by means of an electronic poll.
4.4.4 Nominations will be open for a period of one calendar month. The voting period will be 7 days. Candidates for office should circulate a short manifesto (200 words max.) through the Society’s discussion list, along with the names of their seconders, by the end of the day (ie Candidates for office should circulate a short manifesto (200 words max.) through the Society’s discussion list, along with the names of their seconders, by the end of the day (ie midnight Greenwich Mean Time) preceding the opening of the ballot.
4.4.5 With the exception of the President position, all of the Executive Committee positions are eligible for ‘job share’ arrangements between 2 members. For this to happen they would need to run for election as a single team rather than as two separate candidates.
4.4.6 If an Office holder requires a leave of absence, such as for Maternity Leave, they shall coordinate with the President and the Board of Directors to appoint a voluntary ‘deputy’ who will take over the ongoing running of the position for the duration of the absence.
4.4.7 If an Office holder resigns, a by-election will be held according to the rules of ordinary elections. The winner of a by-election will hold their office for the remainder of the ordinary three-year period of office.
4.4.8 In the event that key Executive Committee positions such as President or Treasurer are left unfilled for any length of time, then the Board of Directors will select from either their own members or from the existing society Fellows to take on the role for an interim period pending new elections.
5. Board of Directors
5.1 The purpose of the Board of Directors is to provide strategic guidance for the society.
5.2 Membership of the Board of Directors is drawn from the Fellowship, and is by invitation from the existing Directors and/or the President and Vice-President.
5.3 The Board of Directors should draw its members from two or more countries.
5.4 The Board of Directors should aim to represent the diverse career stages of the society, and should therefore include at least one member who is within five years of registering for his/her PhD.
5.5 The Board of Directors will automatically include the following office holders:
● President
● Treasurer
● Membership Secretary
● Online Director
● Editor-in-Chief of the society’s journal (ex-officio)
5.6 Directors will serve renewable terms of 3 years. These terms will be staggered to allow for continuity.
5.7 Ordinarily, there should be no more than 12 members of the Board not including ex-officio positions.
6. Conference organisation
6.1 The society’s conferences will be held at least once every two years.
6.2 The team organising the conference are an autonomous group who should organise the conference as they see fit, but in a manner that is mindful of the society’s traditions of friendly, scholarly discussion.
6.3 The conference team are responsible for the financing of the conference, and should use the facilities of their host institution to manage these finances.
6.4 The conference team may use the good name of the society in seeking to raise funds for the purpose of holding the conference.
6.5 The conference team should submit a summary of their accounts to the society’s AGM.
6.6 All conference delegates should be members of the society. This stipulation may be waived for keynote speakers at the conference.
6.7 To ensure the presence of the society’s President at each conference, where necessary reasonable financial contributions can be made towards travel and/or accommodation.
7. Society Code of Conduct and Complaints Procedure
7.1 All individuals associated with the Society should endeavour to maintain the highest standards of personal and professional conduct. This Code does not cover research ethics which are covered by the Respect Code of Practice and other funding council/institutional research ethics conduct policies.
7.2 All members should be aware of their ethical, legal and professional responsibilities incumbent to the specific community in which they work, and also to this society.
7.3 All members will not discriminate against, bully or harass others on the basis of: cultural and role difference, including (but not exclusively) those involving: age, disability, education, ethnicity, gender, gender reassignment, language, national origin, political beliefs, race, religion, sexual orientation, marital or family status, and socio-economic status. It should be specifically noted that harassment, bullying and victimisation by members by electronic means is also unacceptable.
7.4 Should a member need to make a complaint against another member of the society they should, in the first instance, contact the President of the society. The President will then open an investigation into this matter by appointing a sub-committee drawn from either the Executive Committee or the Board of Directors.
7.5 Should a member need to make a complaint against the society President they should, in the first instance, contact a member of the Board of Directors. They will then seek to open an investigation into this matter.
7.6 Should any members be found to have egregiously broken the society’s code of conduct they may face punishments ranging from suspension of their membership, to removal from any society events and conferences, and permanent expulsion from the society.
7.7 If it should arise that a member of the Executive Committee, Board of Directors, Editorial Board, or Editors of the journal has brought the society or its journal into disrepute, or working relations with that colleague have irretrievably broken down, then they may be asked to step down from their role by the Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors may only take this step after reasonable discussions and a majority vote have taken place.
7.8 Should the circumstances warrant it the society may make the decision to refer any serious incidents to the relevant legal or law enforcement authorities
8. The society’s journal
8.1 Mission statement:
First World War Studies is a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal that seeks to publish articles that explore comparative, trans-national, and multi-disciplinary strengths evident in the International Society for First World War Studies and pursue as its guiding principles the same intellectual assets. As the Society draws its strengths from graduate students to more experienced scholars, the journal is equally committed to a collegial academic forum open to any scholar irrespective of degree, academic seniority, or disciplinary affiliation. The journal approaches the subject of the First World War without chronological, geographic, or topical constraints. It embraces not merely the period associated with the years between 1914 and 1918, but seeks to include the diplomatic, political, social, cultural, and military complexities evident before, during, and most certainly after the cessation of hostilities. The journal will contribute significantly to the ongoing debates concerning the origins and causes, conduct, and implications of the First World War. First World War Studies is the only scholarly journal devoted to this extraordinary and controversial conflict and maintains an Editorial Board that consists of many internationally recognized scholars.
8.2 The President and Treasurer should be the signatories to the contract to publish with the publisher of the journal. Renewal and changes in contractual arrangements with the journal’s publisher should be approved by the Society’s Board of Directors and the full Editorial Board of the journal.
8.3 The Editorial Team (comprising Editors in Chief, Book Review Editor, Editorial Board and Associate Editors) will present their nomination of new Editors, selected in consultation with the publisher, to the Society’s Board of Directors for approval. The publisher retains the right to reject nominations; their decision is final.
8.4 The Co-Editors’ terms shall usually run for no more than 5 years, in accordance with the editors’ individual contracts with the publisher. Under extraordinary situations or unforeseen circumstances, a Co-Editor’s term may be renewed. Co-Editors may step down earlier by mutual agreement with the Board of Directors.
8.5 The Co-Editors will recruit a team of Associate Editors to help them in the task of producing a peer-reviewed journal. They will do this in consultation with the publisher, as well as the other Associate Editors. The publisher retains the right to reject nominations; their decision is final.
The Co-Editors and Associate Editors collectively will recruit a diverse and well-qualified Editorial Board which provides advice and guidance to the editors, helps to develop the journal’s policies and helps to resolve disputes.
8.6 Co-Editor’s roles are for a 5-year term. Associate Editors and the Book Review Editors are appointed for a 3-year term which can be renewed once. Editorial Board members are appointed for a 5-year term which can be renewed once.
8.7 The Co-Editors must inform the Board of Directors of any change in editorial personnel and of any change of the publisher’s management procedures. Drawing on the support of the publisher, they will also share information relating to changes in the national or international science policy landscape, which may affect the journal’s editorial independence, procedures, and standards, its financial stability, or may impact on the Society’s standing and reputation. The Co-Editors will present a report at the annual Board of Directors meeting and, if requested, at the AGM, and the Society President will be invited to the annual Editorial Board meeting, ex-officio.
8.8 The details outlined in the preceding clauses are specific to the Journal’s relationship with Taylor & Francis and, in the instance of a change in publisher, would not be automatically applicable to the new publisher without a period of consideration and revision.
9. Standard Operating Procedures of the society (in addition to the above)
9.1 The society will hold an AGM / business meeting at each of its conferences.
9.2 The AGM will receive the following reports as appropriate:
● President’s report on the society’s activities
● Treasurer’s financial report
● Editor-in-Chief’s report on journal business
9.3 The AGM will be open to all members and will consider any items of interests to the membership. The agenda of the AGM should be finalized and circulated to the membership at least a week before the meeting. In recognition of the geographic dispersal of its membership, the reports will be circulated via email to the membership subsequent to the meeting.
9.3.1 Any emailed responses to the pre-circulated agenda will be read out at the AGM.
9.3.2 Documentation arising from the AGM should be stored in a private area of the website once that has been made technically possible. Until that time, any member may request a copy from the Executive Committee.
9.4 In years where no society conference takes place, the appropriate annual reports should be submitted to the Board of Directors and then circulated by email to the membership.
9.5 The constitution of the Society may be amended on proposition of the Board of Directors or one third of the total membership. Amendments must be approved by the membership by means of an electronic poll. Amendments must be circulated to the membership at least one calendar month before the vote opens. The voting period will be 7 days.
9.6 If it should come to the pass that the society needs to be dissolved, the membership will be advised by the President of an Extraordinary General Meeting where the merits of the proposed dissolution will be discussed.
9.6.1 Dissolution must command the support of a majority of the Executive Committee and of the Board of Directors.
9.6.2 Any remaining funds belonging to the society should be donated to an agreed good cause.