Constitution

1. The Association shall be named the Association of Caribbean Historians

2. The aims of the Association shall be:

  1. To promote historical studies of the Caribbean area.
  1. To facilitate regular communications and exchange of information among Caribbean historians through conferences, seminars, publications.
  1. To assist in the development of publication outlets for historical studies in the Caribbean area.
  1. To keep under constant review the state of history teaching in the region.

3. Membership:

  1. Full membership of the Association shall be open to historians living and working in the Caribbean and to scholars working in Caribbean history.
  1. Associate membership of the Association shall be open to history teachers, members of local historical and archeological societies/ archivists, museum curators, librarians, and post-graduate students.
  1. Honorary membership of the Association shall be conferred by a general meeting of the Association acting on the recommendation of the Executive Committee on persons whose contribution in the field of Caribbean history
    shall be deemed to merit that distinction. Honorary members shall enjoy the right to participate in the annual general meeting without having to pay annual dues.
  1. The Executive Committee shall determine the fees for full members and associate members.

4. Officers of the Association:

  1. The Association shall be administered in the period between general meetings by an Executive Committee consisting of a President, Vice-President, Secretary-Treasurer and four other persons.
  1. The President shall hold office for a period of one year, beginning at the end of the annual general meeting or on the 1st of May, whichever is earlier, and shall be eligible for re-election. He or she shall not hold office for more than three successive years and shall serve as ex-officio member of the Executive Committee during the year after he or she demits office.
  1. The Secretary-Treasurer shall hold office for a period of three years and shall be eligible for re-election.
  1. All other Executive Committee members shall hold office for a period of one year and shall be eligible for re-election.
  1. All candidates for election to the Executive Committee shall be chosen by a three-person Nominating Committee which shall be selected at the annual general meeting.
  1. No member of the Executive Committee shall be a member of the Nominating Committee, and vice versa, and no member of the Nominating Committee may be nominated for membership of the Executive Committee.
  1. Any member of the ACH may propose to the convenor of the Nominating Committee names of members for election to the Executive Committee. Such notices shall reach the convenor no later than 31 October.
  2. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of candidates for all vacant positions in the Executive Committee and shall circulate such a list to all the members by the end of February in each year, which list (and, when necessary, a ballot paper) shall be published in the December issue of the Bulletin or circulated to all financial members by the end of February in each year.
  3. Voting for members of the Executive Committee shall be conducted by postal ballot from the beginning of March and up to the time of the annual general meeting/ and the results of the elections will be announced at the annual general meeting.
  4. All ACH members will be eligible to vote.
  5. The Executive Committee shall have the power to make temporary appointments to any positions on the Executive Committee vacant during the year and to make any other appointments necessary for the effective operation of the Association.

5. The Annual General Meeting:

  1. General meetings of the Association of Caribbean Historians shall normally be held annually, and members shall normally receive one month’s notice of the meeting.
  1. When for good reason the statutory general meeting of the Association has had to be postponed/ a meeting shall be called within twelve months of the date of the cancelled meeting.
  1. Participation in general meetings of the Association shall be restricted to members and honorary members.
  1. The annual general meeting shall receive reports on the accounts of the Association and on the activities of the Association since its last meeting. All reports shall be circulated to members of the Association.
  1. The annual general meeting shall approve the accounts of the preceding financial period which shall normally run from 1s1 April to 31st March. The annual general meeting shall elect members of the Nominating Committee and shall discuss the items on the agenda.
  1. Minutes of the meeting shall be kept.

6. The Executive Committee:

  1. The Committee shall meet immediately before each general meeting of the Association and whenever it shall be convened the President, or at the request of any two members of the Committee.
  1. A quorum shall comprise three members.
  1. The Committee shall determine the date for the general meeting and shall prepare the agenda.
  1. The venue of the next general meeting shall be decided by the Committee except when the general meeting has determined otherwise.
  1. Expenditures shall be authorized in writing by the Secretary-Treasurer with the approval of the President.
  1. The members of the Association shall not receive remuneration for the performance of functions entrusted to them.

7. Amendment of the Constitution:

  1. An amendment to the constitution shall he decided on at a general meeting of the Association.
  1. Notice of the proposed amendment shall be given to members of the Association at least three months before the date of the appropriate general meeting.
  2. A resolution to amend the constitution shall be adopted by two-thirds of those present and voting.