ICSA Constitution
April 2025
PURPOSE
The International Communal Studies Association has been formed to provide a common framework for a scholarly exchange of information on communes, intentional communities, collective settlements and kibbutz throughout the world. The organization will be multidisciplinary and shall strive for international representation among its members.
In order to carry out the purpose stated above, the organization shall engage in such activities as:
1. Providing a clearing house for research projects and encouraging comparative studies.
2. Maintaining and distributing a list of organizations as well as a list of individuals active in communal and kibbutz research, plus their addresses.
3. Hosting International Conferences.
4. Issuing Publications such as a Journal/Newsletter/Bibliographies/Proceedings of Conferences
5. Interacting with other professional/scholarly organizations, providing information for visiting scholars.
MEMBERSHIP
There will be three kinds of members – Institutional, Community, and Individual.
INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERSHIP: Organizations dedicated to the study of communal and kibbutz societies.
COMMUNITY MEMBERSHIP: Organizations that self-identify as intentional communities, communes, or other forms of collective living.
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERSHIP Individuals pursuing scholarly work and/or study in communal and kibbutz research as well as those who are communitarians and/or interested in the purpose of this organization.
ORGANISATIONAL GOVERNANCE: There shall be a Board of Directors representing a variety of geographical areas. It will meet at least annually, and will be responsible for ensuring ICSA’s fidelity to its purpose as defined above. New Directors will be elected by the current Board; existing Directors can be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Board. Directors are required to be members of ICSA in good standing and encouraged to be members at the sponsor level. Inactive members of the Board, as defined by missing two in-person conferences in a row, will have to be re-elected to the board.A quorum for a duly called Board Meeting shall be half the number of members on the Board of Directors.
The Board shall appoint both an Executive Director and a steering committee.The Executive Director will be a member of the steering committee.
The Executive Director will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Association.
The steering committee will include individual Directors responsible for specific tasks, as determined by the Board. The steering committee will be responsible for long-term organizational guidance. It will propose budgets and policies to be approved by the full Board, and will distribute the agenda for each Board meeting at least one week in advance. It will meet on an ongoing schedule as determined by its members. Ordinarily, the steering committee will be re-constituted during each in-person conference.
The Association shall be institutionally connected to a host organization that will function as base of operations and fiscal sponsor. The Executive Director will be in residence in the same country as the host organization.
CONFERENCES
The International Communal Studies Association shall hold an international conference every 3-5 years. The steering committee shall include a Conference Chair located in the host country, if possible.
DUES
A dues structure shall be developed for each category of membership, with multiple levels reflecting different financial circumstances. This should be reviewed annually.