Association of Social Anthropologists of the U. K. and the Commonwealth

Objectives

The ASA was founded in 1946 with the following objectives:

1. To promote the study and teaching of social anthropology
2. To hold periodical meetings
3. To present the interests of social anthropology and to maintain its professional status
4. To assist in any way possible in planning research.
5. To collate, and if possible, publish information on social anthropology, and a register of social anthropologists.

Methodology

How do we achieve these aims?

1. We hold an annual conference, usually in the spring. Annual conferences may be hosted by institutions in the UK or other Commonwealth Countries. Every ten years, we hold a Decennial conference, which attracts a large international audience.
2. We publish at least one monograph from the conference papers.
3. We publish the Annals of the ASA each year, which includes a Guide to University Departments in the UK and the Commonwealth, and an Annual Report on each of the UK Departments; and in alternate years, a Directory of Members, including Associate Members (postgraduates)
4. We publish, and regularly review, Ethical Guidelines for Good Research Practice in Social Anthropology.
5. We represent the interests of the discipline in the UK to official bodies such as the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
6. We also represent individual member interests and this is occasionally significant.
7. We promote the informed and responsible use of anthropological knowledge in addressing national and global issues in the public domain by responding directly or by referring enquiries to individual specialists as appropriate.
8. We collaborate on coverage with Anthropology Today, the newsletter of the Royal Anthropological Institute.
9. In appropriate contexts, we cooperate with other anthropological organisations in based in the UK, such as the Royal Anthropological Institute, Anthropology in Action, and C-Sap, the UK National Centre for learning and teaching Sociology, Anthropology and Politics, and with other national and international associations, such as the European Association of Social Anthropologists (EASA). The ASA is a member of the World Council of Anthropological Associations.
10. We have a commitment to support networks such as our Postgraduate Network, The Network of Applied Anthropologists, and the Anthropology of Britain network.

Membership

The ASA offers full membership to persons of any nationality who, by virtue of their training, posts held and published works can be recognised as professional social anthropologists. Nominations and applications are considered once a year, at the Annual Business Meeting of the Association.

Members must hold a postgraduate degree in social anthropology OR have published significant work in social anthropology AND hold or have held a teaching or research appointment in social anthropology OR hold or have held other employment using his or her training in social anthropology OR have been unavoidably unemployed for more than calendar year after his or her training in social anthropology at a university or comparable institution of higher education.

We also offer Associate Membership to postgraduate students.

Current subscriptions for full members range from £40 a year for UK residents, which includes a reduced price subscription to the ASA monograph series, to £7.50 for retired and unwaged members, members resident in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, and Associate Members. This does not include the monograph subscription, though this is available as an extra at the preferential prices offered to members. Postgraduate students can also become Student Associates of the ASA and the Royal Anthropological Institute together for a relatively low combined subscription. We also offer special rates for low waged UK members, and for members resident in Western Europe, Canada and the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, plus honorary membership to retired colleagues who have given significant service to the Association during their careers.

The ASA had 609 members in summer 2005: 30% were international members. Our biggest concentration of members resident overseas is in Australia and New Zealand, followed by Western Europe.

Organization

The ASA is run by a committee, headed by a Chair elected to serve for four years at an Annual Business Meeting. To provide continuity, election of the other main officer holders, Hon. Secretary and Hon. Treasurer, occurs mid-term during any given Chair’s tenure. The committee is supported by an administrator, Rohan Jackson, who maintains our website, organizes our conferences and deals with all practical matters relating to membership records, subscriptions and mailings. Other committee posts include officers responsible for the Ethical Guidelines, Equal Opportunities, ASA networks, Media and Publicity, Publications, Membership and Postgraduate Student matters, the Postgraduate website and online journal, Anthropologymatters, and Training Courses that the ASA sponsors nationally.

ASA Website

News

Events

Ethics

More: News Events Institutional

Contact info

http://www.theasa.org

Chair: Professor John Gledhill (Chair@theasa.org)

Hon. secretary: Dr Iris Jean-Klein (Secretary@theasa.org)

Hon. treasurer: Dr. Lisette Josephides (Treasurer@theasa.org)

Administrator/membership secretary: Rohan Jackson, NomadIT (admin@theasa.org)

IT consultant/web design/conference admin: Rohan Jackson, NomadIT (conference@theasa.org)