Dear Colleagues, 

Recently, ISDS president Henk Stam, past-president Hubert Hermans, and the chair of the board of the ISDS foundation, Frans Wijsen, agreed on the formulation of a proposal for  the by-laws of the ISDS. 

This proposal will be discussed at the business meeting of the ISDS at the upcoming (digital) International Conference on the Dialogical Self, June 8, 19.15-20.15, organized by our Barcelona colleagues.  Not only ISDS members are welcome at this meeting, any colleague interested in potential membership is welcome too. Henk Stam is willing to chair the meeting. 

For your information, the whole proposal of the by-laws is presented below. 

Looking forward to meeting you at the conference, 

Henk Stam and Hubert Hermans. 

By-laws of the International Society for Dialogical Science

I Title

The full name of the society is the International Society for Dialogical Science, herein after referred to as the Society.  It was formally constituted under Dutch law in 2002 and the Board of the International Society for Dialogical Science Foundation (hereafter ‘Foundation’) legally operates the ISDS.

The Executive Committee of the ISDS runs the day-to-day affairs of the Society.  The Executive Committee is elected by the membership however the Board of the Foundation must approve the elected Committee members.

II Aim and Objectives: 

1. The stimulation and facilitation of interaction between researchers and practitioners who are interested in the facilitation of dialogical processes in the self, in society and between cultures in a globalizing world.

2. The construction and further development of Dialogical Self Theory and other theories which deal directly with the relationship between self and dialogue.

3. The development of scientific methods for assessment, promotion, and evaluation of dialogical processes in connection with the development of the self.

4. Bringing together theories, methods, research and practice from different psychological subdisciplines and related disciplines which deal with the topics mentioned under 1, 2 and 3. The following subdisciplines and disciplines are considered to be particularly relevant to this goal: personality psychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, psychogerontology, psychology of culture & religion, clinical psychology, psychotherapy, personnel psychology, psychiatry, psychoanalysis, brain sciences, humanities, social anthropology, sociology, philosophy, history, theology, and art.

5. International cooperation in the areas as described under 1, 2 and 3 and between representatives from the subdisciplines and disciplines mentioned under 4.

6. Communication about information concerning planned and current research and practice.  In the service of these objectives the Society organizes regular conferences, symposia, and workshops, distributes newsletters, and publishes articles in the section Dialogical Self Theory of the Journal of Constructivist Psychology.

7.  The Society will define dialogical science very broadly: It comprises at least the study of the self as social in origin and dialogical in its potential. The Society also studies the historical development and background of dialogism.

III Membership

1. Membership of the ISDS is open for all persons with an academic degree in any of the social sciences and to others to whom the aim of the ISDS is academically, professionally or practically relevant.

2. The Executive Committee decides on the admission of a member, a decision normally delegated to the Treasurer, upon payment of the required fees.

3. Membership is terminated by death, the member’s voluntary withdrawal, or a decision taken by the ISDS Executive Committee.

4. Termination of membership, whether by the member or the ISDS Executive Committee, requires a written announcement, at least four weeks before the end of the financial year. When the withdrawal is too late, the membership continues until the end of the following financial year.

5. When the membership ends in the course of a financial year, the member will receive no refund on their membership fees.

IV Executive Committee

1. The Committee includes 2 at-large members, including one student representative, in addition to the President, the Past President, the President-Elect, and the Secretary-Treasurer. 

Members-at-large are elected by the membership for two-year terms, renewable once, with the possibility of a second renewal in some cases.  Membership is staggered so as to ensure both continuity and renewal. 

2.  The President-elect shall be elected from a slate determined by the Executive Committee. Once elected that person will assume the Presidency after two years and the President will become the Past-President.

3. The Executive Committee will be nominated at the ISDS Business Meeting held at the biennial conference. No member can serve on the Committee for more than six consecutive years (as per 1, above, unless the Executive Committee agrees to a renewal beyond this).  Half of the Executive Committee will be chosen at each biennial meeting of the ISDS.  Half will remain on. 

4. Following the election of the Executive Committee, the Foundation will receive the names for approval.

V Meeting

1. The ISDS Business Meeting will be held during the international conference held every two years. The annual meeting for the yearly reports will be held by teleconference in-between biennial conferences. Committee Meetings will receive written notice of the meeting and an agenda at least seven days before the date of the meeting.

2. The meetings will be chaired by the President or, if not present, by the Past-President or the member serving the longest term.

VI Alteration

The ISDS by-laws may be changed at the ISDS Business Meeting with a vote in favour from two-thirds of those members present.  Notice of a vote for a change in the by-laws must be presented prior to the Business Meeting.  The Board must also approve any changes.