What type of membership is right for you?
The ACSS offers two kinds of membership: Institutional and Individual. Conditions, rights and responsibilities of membership are outlined in Articles V, VI and VII of the ACSS Charter.
ACSS membership is on a calendar-year basis, January 1st through December 31st. Dues are owed each January, and are non-refundable.
Membership applications will be processed twice annually: in January and between June and September.
All applications are reviewed by the ACSS Board of Trustees Membership Subcommittee, which recommends acceptance or refusal of the membership to the Board of Trustees for final decision. Successful applicants will be notified by email. Those approved for membership will be provided with further instructions on how to pay annual dues and access members-only content on the website.
Any questions? Please contact: members@theacss.org
Institutional Membership
Institutional Membership (non-voting) is open to:
- Arab associations, regional branches and foreign institutions dealing with social sciences and social research and operating in or in direct relationship with the Arab world.
- Social science research institutions and centers that are non-profit, and conduct research for the public good. This includes research centers and departments within universities.
- International organizations that engage in social science research.
ACSS annual membership dues for institutional members are currently $150 US Dollars.
Benefits of Institutional Membership:
- The right to attend the biennial ACSS General Assembly meetings and to contribute to discussions that shape and form the activities and programs of the ACSS.
- Opportunity to organize meetings, workshops and activities in conjunction with the biennial conference.
- Networking opportunities at ACSS events.
- Listing on the Institutional Members’ page of the ACSS website.
- Opportunity to announce activities and publications on the ACSS website and social media sites.
To apply for Institutional Membership, please complete the online Institutional Membership Form.
Associate (Non-Voting) Individual Membership
Associate Membership (non-voting) is open to individuals who fulfill all the following criteria:
- Hold an Arab nationality or are originally from an Arab country regardless of their current country of residence. This includes Palestinians residing in the occupied Palestinian territories, with the exception of the Palestinians of 1948, who, according to Lebanese Laws, cannot be members of the ACSS. Any person who does not hold an Arab nationality is entitled to apply for associate membership, provided that he or she has been working in an Arab institution and region for more than 5 years.
- Hold a PhD (or its equivalent) and have experience in the social sciences or a related field.
- Work in the field of Social Sciences.
- Pay their yearly membership fees to the ACSS.
Benefits of Associate (Non-Voting) Individual Membership:
-
- Travel grants to attend conferences (when funding is available).
- Participation in the ACSS activities and application to certain grants that are open to members only.
- The opportunity to contribute to discussions that shape and form the activities and programs of the ACSS.
Please note that all applicants are first accepted as Associate Members if they meet the above criteria. After two years of membership, Associate Members can then apply to become Active Members based on the additional criteria listed below:
Active (Voting) Individual Membership
Active Membership (voting) is open to individuals who fulfill all of the above criteria for Associate Membership in addition to the following:
- Having spent at least two years as an Associate Member provided that they have paid their membership fees for two consecutive years.
- Having publications commensurate with years of professional experience in the social sciences or a related field.
- Having participated actively in ACSS events.
Benefits of Active (Voting) Individual Membership
- Travel grants to attend conferences (when funding is available).
- Participation in the ACSS activities and application to certain grants that are open to members only.
- The opportunity to contribute to discussions that shape and form the activities and programs of the ACSS.
- The right to vote in the ACSS Board of Trustees elections and/or to be nominated to the Board of Trustees.
- The right to vote on any motion presented at ordinary and extraordinary meetings of the General Assembly.
ACSS annual membership dues for Associate and Active members are currently $40 and $100 respectively. Individuals can email members@theacss.org to request a waiver or reduction of these dues. Fee waivers and reductions will be granted by the Membership Committee on a case-by-case basis.
To apply, please submit a completed Individual Membership Form, including the required uploads:
- An up-to-date CV that includes a complete list of publications
- A photocopy of passport or identity card
Student Individual Membership
Student Membership (non-voting) is open to students who fulfill the following criteria:
- Hold an Arab nationality or are originally from an Arab country regardless of their current country of residence. This includes Palestinians residing in the occupied Palestinian territories, with the exception of the Palestinians of 1948, who, according to Lebanese Laws, cannot be members of the ACSS. Any person who does not hold an Arab nationality is entitled to apply for associate membership, provided that he or she has been working in an Arab institution and region for more than 5 years.
- Have a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences or a related field.
- Are registered as Masters or PhD students in a social science discipline.
There is no fee for student membership.
Student membership will be automatically stopped once members are no longer enrolled in a degree program (MA or PhD). Student members who obtain their PhD degree would be eligible to apply for associate membership and would have to fill out the relevant application form.
To apply, please submit a completed Individual Membership Form, including the required uploads:
- An up-to-date CV that includes a complete list of publications
- A photocopy of passport or identity card
- For Student Members ONLY: proof of current enrollment, such as student ID or copy of current transcript
- For Student Members ONLY: signed copy of ACSS Student Member Recommendation Letter (Note: Students will be required to print a copy of this form, and have this form completed and signed by their academic supervisor. They will then need to scan and upload a completed copy of the form to their membership application. If they are unable to scan/upload a completed form, they can fax a completed form directly to the ACSS)
In some exceptional cases, the Membership Subcommittee has the right to accept members who do not meet the required criteria after studying each application on case by case basis and obtaining the approval of the Board of Trustees.
Honorary Membership
Honorary Membership is a closed membership where an individual is selected and invited by the Board of Trustees to join the ACSS as a non-voting member.
Note that the individual selected as an honorary member might not meet some or any of the membership criteria.
