Call for a new ASA Chair

Professor Simone Abram will come to the end of her term of office as Chair of the ASA in 2024. The association now calls for applications or nominations to succeed her in the post.

The role of Chair is a rewarding position of responsibility, collaborating with other members of the ASA committee (Secretary, Treasurer, Ethics, Publications, Conference, Media, Networks and Policy Officers, and the Administrator). The chair leads the committee and has oversight of the production of the ASA’s annual events, its networks, its directory of members, its annals, its new PhD database, and all other ASA activities, including initiatives, research and actions, in support of the association’s public role.

The Chair is in touch with various outside bodies, including the Heads of UK Anthropology Departments, the Academy of Social Sciences, the ESRC, AHRC and British Academy, the Royal Anthropological Institute, and with other anthropological associations around the world. The Chair responds to consultations, such as concerning REF and QAA, and shares in the responsibility for disbursing Firth and Sutasoma Funds. Finally, the role of Chair also involves offering support to ASA members who have problems connected with their professional work as anthropologists.

The rules of procedure of the Association read as follows:

• The Chair will be elected. The elections shall take place via secret ballot online. The candidates with the greatest number of votes will be declared elected. The results of elections will be announced via email to all members. Formal objections can be raised at any point in the election process and will be treated in confidence. If no objections are raised, the election or appointment will then be considered to be ratified. Should a formal objection be made and sustained, then the ratification will be delayed pending discussion at the next AGM.
• We invite nominations for the election to Chair of the ASA. Candidates may nominate themselves, or be nominated by another person. Nominations will imply that the proposer has the candidate’s consent; obtaining such consent is the responsibility of the proposer.
• Nominations should include the name, position and affiliation of the nominated person and, if relevant, of the nominator (all of whom should be members of the ASA). They should also include a brief statement (maximum 500 words) outlining the motivation of the nominee for taking up the post and any relevant experience. These statements will posted online and shared with ASA members as part of the election process.
• This post is suitable for someone in permanent employment as it is an unpaid position.

If you are interested in taking up this post, or in nominating someone else, then please email the Honorary Secretary of the ASA, Dr Constance Smith, at your earliest convenience: secretary(at)theasa.org. If you would like to discuss the role informally, then Simone Abram (chair(at)theasa.org) or Constance Smith would be very pleased to hear from you.

The deadline for nominations is 14 February 2024. An online ballot for all members will follow, closing end-February, so that the new chair will be elected from March.