Constitution of the European Hobbes Society
I. Aims of the European Hobbes Society.
a. The purpose of the European Hobbes Society (EHS) is to promote scholarship on the life and work of Thomas Hobbes across disciplines and traditions by providing a platform for scholars from across the world to share ideas and exchange research.
b. The purpose of the EHS shall be served by holding a biennial conference; supporting special meetings and conferences; maintaining a website with information, news, reviews, debates and forthcoming events; publishing a membership list of the EHS; and supporting any other initiatives deemed by the Executive Committee to advance the aims of the EHS.
II. Membership of the EHS.
a. Membership of the EHS shall be open to anyone with an interest in Hobbes and who subscribes to the aims stated in I.
b. Membership of the EHS shall be acquired by registration via the EHS website (http://www.europeanhobbessociety.org/). Membership shall be resigned by contacting the Membership Officer. Membership shall be terminated if the annual dues (if any) are unpaid or if the email address supplied upon registration is inactive.
c. The amount of annual dues (if any) shall be determined at the General Meeting (GM) of the EHS.
III. The governing body of the EHS shall be the Executive Committee (EC).
a. The EC shall consist of no fewer than six and no more than ten members of the EHS.
b. The EC comprises the offices of President, Treasurer and Membership Officer, Publication Officer(s), Features Officer(s) and Regular Members of the EC. The EC may appoint other officers as it should deem necessary.
c. Elections to the EC shall be held biennially at the GM. Election shall be by majority of those voting where there are two candidates nominated for one position or by Borda count for three or more candidates.
d. No member shall hold more than one office at a time and no member shall serve as an elected member of the EC for more than six consecutive years.
e. At least one month prior to the GM, a call for nominations to the EC shall be circulated to all members of the EHS. Nominations shall be received via email prior to the GM or by person during the GM. Any member nominated by at least two other members and who agrees to serve if elected shall be considered nominated.
f. Terms of office shall commence immediately following the GM.
g. Should an officer of the EC resign at any point between elections, the EC may appoint an interim officer at their discretion to serve until the next election of the EC.
h. If after deliberation the EC needs to vote on a matter, it decides by majority vote if there are two options or Borda count as in II.c if there are three or more options. If votes are evenly split the President shall have the deciding vote.
IV. The EC shall be advised by the Advisory Board (AB).
a. The AB shall consist of typically between ten and fifteen members of the EHS.
b. The Editor-in-Chief of the journal Hobbes Studies shall be ex officio a member of the AB.
c. The remainder of the AB shall be appointed at the discretion of the EC on the basis of distinguished contribution to Hobbes scholarship.
d. No member of the EHS shall serve on the EC and AB at the same time.
V. General Meetings of the EHS shall ordinarily be held biennially.
a. The EC shall select the dates and locations for its meetings and shall circulate these to all members of the EHS. This GM shall ordinarily be scheduled to take place during a conference of the EHS.
b. The quorum for the GM is at least ten members of the EHS.
c. The EC may call special meetings at its discretion. In such cases, details shall be circulated to all members of the EHS at least one month prior to the meeting. Special meetings shall be governed by the same rules as the GM.
VI. The EC shall grant individual members of the EHS the right to organise events under the aegis of the EHS.
a. EHS members may write to the Membership Officer to apply to organise events under the aegis of the EHS. The Membership Officer shall consult with the EC and inform the member of the decision.
b. The EHS shall endeavour to support any event organised by EHS members that advance the aims stated in I.
c. EHS events are organised de-centrally by the event organiser, who shall decide on the nature and format of the event.
d. Information about events organised under the aegis of the EHS shall be circulated to all members.
VII. Any amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted in writing to the EC prior to the GM. The Constitution may then be amended by a two-thirds majority of those voting at the GM.
VIII. Dissolution of the EHS.
a. The EHS may dissolve itself by a two-thirds majority of those voting at the GM, provided that a proposal to that effect has been put forward at the preceding GM and all members of the EHS have been informed by the President in writing at least one month before the date of the GM at which the proposal is to be voted on.
b. In the case of dissolution, the GM shall determine to what other institution or society any net assets of the EHS are to be transferred.
