Current Section Officers

Chair Dana Fisher, American University

Objectives of the Section

The purpose of the Political Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association is to promote the scholarly research and professional activities of those concerned with a sociological understanding of political phenomena. The phrase “sociological understanding” is interpreted to encompass the wide variety of theoretical and associated methodological approaches with which sociologists attempt to describe and explain social phenomena. The phrase “political phenomena” is interpreted to encompass the wide variety of topics that sociologists investigate, including social and cultural bases of power and authority.

How to Join

Membership in the section includes the following:
– access to the section’s e-mail lists
– opportunity to submit your work for consideration of the section sessions
– a chance to meet fellow scholars, activists, and other members with related interests

Membership in the ASA is required for section membership and also comes with a variety of additional benefits, such as access to publications, the ASA newsletter Footnotes (online current and previous issues), and opportunities to engage with fellow sociologists from other sections. Please consult the ASA homepage for ASA Membership Information.

To join the Section, please contact the ASA office. The ASA homepage provides a simple-to-use Online Membership Application and a Membership Renewal Form.

For more information, please contact the ASA membership division:

American Sociological Association
1307 New York Avenue, N.W., Suite 700
Washington, DC 20005-4701
Phone: (202) 383-9005
Fax: (202) 638-0882
E-mail: membership@asanet.org

Section By-Laws

The purpose of the Section on Political Sociology is to promote the scholarly research and professional activities of those concerned with a sociological understanding of political phenomena. To this end, the Section will sponsor meetings and conferences, newsletters and publications, and other means of communication deemed appropriate by the Council of the Section. The phrase “sociological understanding” is interpreted to encompass the wide variety of theoretical and associated methodological approaches with which sociologists attempt to describe and explain social phenomena. The phrase “political phenomena” is interpreted to encompass the wide variety of topics investigated by sociologists including the social and cultural bases of power and authority: The organization, management, process and change of power and authority structures, and the effects of decision-making and decision-making structures on the surrounding society and culture.

Officers of the Section

The officers of the Section shall be a Chair, a Chair-elect and a Secretary-Treasurer. The Chair shall serve for one year. The Chair-elect shall serve for one year, after which he or she will assume the Chair. The Secretary Treasurer shall serve 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 the terms of office whether for one, two or three years, shall be designated by the Chair. Officers shall not succeed themselves. The Chair, Chair-Elect, and the Secretary-Treasurer shall serve as ex officio voting members of the Council. No member can hold two elective offices simultaneously. If an elected officer is elected to another is vacated before the term is completed, it shall be filled through appointment by the Chair for the unexpired term subject to confirmation by the Council at its next meeting. Only voting members of the Association shall be eligible to hold office.

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 Council shall make decisions by majority rule of its attending members. Any action of the Section, including changes of the By-Laws, may be brought to the vote of the Section, or by twenty-five members of the Section, whichever is less. Questions that are interpreted by the Council to be matters of new program development or policy shall be brought before the membership for discussion.

Election 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 for this shall be the first election, which shall be carried out concomitantly with the formation of the Section. Officers elected shall serve through the first year after the Section is formed and accepted into the Association. Newly elected officers and Council members shall assume office on the day following the annual business meeting of the Section at the American Sociological Association’s Annual Meeting. Newly elected officers and Council members may attend meetings of the Council prior to assuming office as non-voting participants.

Committees

There shall be a Committee on Nominations, appointed each year by the Council when it convenes at the annual meetings of the American Sociological Association. The Nominating Committee shall be constituted of at least four members, with the stipulation that no member serve on the Nominating Committee for two consecutive years. Two candidates will be presented for each office by the Committee on Nominations. Other Committees shall be appointed by the Chair with the approval of the Council on an ad hoc basis.

Membership

The membership of the Section is open to any member of the American Sociological Association without regard to the classification of membership. Members who do not pay their Section dues shall be suspended, and dropped from the rolls after two years.

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.

Contact Information

For questions about the section please contact the Section Chair, Caroline Lee, at leecw@lafayette.edu.

For contributions to the newsletter or listserv (now, ASA Connect) please contact polsocnews@gmail.com.

For contributions to or questions about the website, please contact the Section Webmaster, Jennifer Dudley, at jdudley@nd.edu.