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Current Bylaws
The Section on Marxist Sociology will be concerned with developing Marxist Analysis as a method of scientific and scholarly research within sociology. Marxist analysis is not seen as focused on a specific aspect of social life, but rather as a method for analysis of the dynamics of social change, with an emphasis on the interplay of economic, social and political factors. This method involves a dialectical interaction between theory, method and practice.
The Section on Marxist Sociology facilitates the work of its members in several says. First, at its meetings, sociologists who are for an interchange of ideas, research findings and experiences in teaching and applying Marxist sociological perspectives. Second, the Section assists in the development of resources for teaching and research which enhance the contribution of Marxist perspectives to the sociological enterprise. Third, the Section encourages the development of local and regional activities by serving as a medium of communication among persons interested in Marxian analysis throughout the country. Finally, the Section encourages the publication and distribution of Marxist sociological theory and research bearing on the Marxist perspective.
OFFICERS OF THE SECTION. The Officers of the Section shall be a Chairperson, chairperson-elect and a Secretary-Treasurer. Voting members of the Association alone shall be eligible to hold office. The Chairperson-elect will automatically become Chairperson in the year following his/her office as Chairperson-elect. The Secretary-Treasurer shall be elected for a period of three years.
There shall be a Council consisting of six members, each serving for three years, with two Council seats being vacated each year. In the first election of the Council, two Council seats shall be identified as one-year seats, two as two-year seats, and two as three-year seats. Officers shall not succeed themselves. The Chairperson, Chairperson-elect and Secretary-treasurer shall also serve as members of the Council with the Chairperson of the Section serving as Chairperson of the Council.
POWERS OF THE OFFICERS. The Council is vested in principle with the power to carry out all necessary operations for the Section, acting as the representative of the membership of the Section. The functions of the Council include cooperating with the Program Committee of the American Sociological Association in planning the presentation of its field of interest in the Annual Meeting of the Association.
ELECTIONS AND VOTING. The elections of the Section shall be carried out in cooperation with the American Sociological Association and coordinated to their schedule. The exception shall be the first election, which shall be carried out noncomitantly with the formation of the Section.
COMMITTEES. There shall be a Committee on Nominations, elected each year by those members of the Section present at an open Business Meeting to take place at the Annual Meeting of the Association. The Nominating Committee shall be constituted of at least four members, with the stipulation that no member shall serve on the nominating Committee for two consecutive years. The Nominating Committee shall present two people for each office to be voted on by the voting members of the Section, by mail ballot.
Other committees shall be appointed by the Chairperson with the approval of the Council, on an ad hoc basis.
NOMINATION BY PETITION. Qualified members of the Section may be nominated for any office by a petition of 10% of the members of the Section or by 25 members of the Section, whichever is less. The choices of the Nominating Committee for each office shall be made known to the membership at least 60 days prior to the deadline for receiving nominations by petition.
REFERENDA. Any action of the Council, including changes of the By-Laws, may be referred to a mail ballot of Section members by means of a petition containing the signatures of 10% of the Section members or of 25 members of the Section, whichever is less. Any resolution passed by the annual Business Meeting of the Section shall be referred to Council. If Such resolutions are not accepted by the Council, they shall be submitted to the membership by mail ballot.
MEMBERSHIP. The membership of the Section shall be drawn from the members of the American Sociological Association who have expressed or demonstrated a major interest in Marxist sociology.
DUES Dues shall be set by the Council to cover the operation of the Section in accord with the requirements of the American Sociological Association.
2007-8] (updated January 2013)