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The Southwestern Historical Association 1996 Select Committee to Investigate the Relationship of the Southwestern Historical Association with the SSSA.
Take me to the similar 1981 committee
report. The committee held an initial meeting in New Orleans on November 9, consulted with various leaders of our organization, carried out an extensive correspondence by e-mail and fax, and makes the following report: There has been a clearly-defined and long-standing dissatisfaction for many years by many members of the Southwestern Historical Association (SwHA) regarding some of the policies and practices of the Southwestern Social Science Association (SSSA). This dissatisfaction has focused on two general areas. First, we have problems with the SSSA's governance and decision-making structure which routinely excludes the SwHA's leadership from the process whereby the policies of the SSSA are made. Second, historians have maintained over recent decades strong objections to the editorial policy of the Social Science Quarterly (SSQ). They believe that this publication, which claims to represent the interests of all the member sections of the Association, ignores the discipline of history in the articles it publishes and in the books chosen for review. Furthermore, the historians who in recent decades have served as members of the Quarterly's editorial board have traditionally not been active in the SwHA. Although these individuals have been historians who have made important contributions to the discipline, there are equally distinguished active members of the SwHA who never seem to be on the board of editors. At this time there appear to be five possible courses of action for the SwHA of the SSSA to follow: (1) Do nothing and let the status
quo continue in the above two areas of concern; Each of these options is discussed in the paragraphs below. Doing nothing to change the status quo at this time, although the easiest course of action, is probably not the most advisable approach. At various times in recent decades, concerted attempts by the membership of the SwHA have been made to improve relations with the SSSA. About fifteen years ago, the membership discussed under the respective leadership of Presidents Gustave L Seligmann, jr. (North Texas) and C Wentz Fehrenbach (Tarleton State) making changes in the SwHA's connection with the SSSA. The SwHA gave serious attention to supporting a new journal while remaining in the SSSA. They also discussed improving representation in the councils of the SSSA. Then, during the respective SSSA presidencies of Brison D Gooch (Texas A&M) and Amos E Simpson (Southwestern Louisiana), some improvements in relations with the SSSA resulted from their good work as members of the SwHA. At the time, promises came from the editor of the SSQ that greater attention would be given to the publication of materials of interest to historians. Now, almost a decade later, these promises have not been acted upon. The membership of the SwHA is gradually declining and some traditional stalwarts of annual meeting are apparently deserting the organization. Hence, the coming years which will see the Association presidency of historian Cary D Wintz (Texas Southern) might be an appropriate time for the SwHA to revisit the question of its relationship to the SSSA and the SSQ. The option of full disaffiliation appeals to a considerable number of long-standing members, several of whom have been officers of the SSSA. Other members retain some hope that an aroused history membership may bring about some needed reforms. While the SwHA is probably capable of surviving on its own, and could maintain an annual meeting, it would immediately lose the benefits of the interdisciplinary programs which many of us enjoy. A much-smaller group could meet in smaller, less-expensive locations, but would have trouble bringing book representatives to meetings. The possibility of the SwHA affiliating with a journal other than the SSQ does have some attraction, although the financial aspects of such an action will have to be the object of careful and deliberate investigation by a committee that has detailed knowledge of journal publication. A preliminary analysis by Professors Simpson and F Bullitt Lowry (North Texas) indicate that approximately $14,000 per year might be needed from subscriptions in addition to institutional support. If dues were twenty to twenty-five dollars, there would have to be approximately 600 to 700 members from the SwHA to provide primary support for their own journal. This is not realistic since it can be assumed that the membership of the SwHA by itself is not large enough to bear the costs of a journal by itself. Possible affiliation with the several hundred members of the SwHA might provide an infusion of cash subscriptions necessary for survival, in addition to whatever current support such a journal is enjoying. This course of action, however, would make necessary the committed hard work of one or more members of the SwHA to craft such a relationship with a journal. It would also probably be the case that such a journal would not be able to publish articles across the entire spectrum of historical topics in United States, European, Latin American, and other kinds of emphasis usually seen on the program of the annual meeting. Reforming the bases for membership and representation could possibly resolve at least enough of the problem areas to make continued affiliation possible. Should representation be based on registration figures rather than "membership," which, in effect is based on subscriptions to a journal which has no value to historians, we might have enough clout to get appropriate representation in the journal. A final model for change would revolve around the SwHA remaining in the SSSA, participating fully in the annual meeting, but its members not having a subscription to the SSQ. Annual dues would therefore be reduced accordingly. This has long been the case for professional membership in the European History Section of the Southern Historical Association since non-historians of the South, who do participate in the annual meeting of the Southern Historical Association, appropriately have little interest in following the history of the region. Whatever the options chosen, members of the SwHA of the SSSA probably need at this time to embark on a careful examination of their traditional relationship with the umbrella organization. The rising costs of membership, the increasing expense of participation in the annual meeting, the continued reluctance of the SSQ to interest historians, and the increasing competition from other historical organizations for the attention of membership all combine to make an examination of these issues an appropriate activity during the coming year. The committee recommends that we make every effort to get the leadership of the SSSA to negotiate in good faith an arrangement which permits SwHA membership in the SSSA without paying for a subscription to the SSQ. Should that be impossible, the committee recommends that the SwHA be polled on the remaining options. The committee, shamelessly, recommends that it be continued for the following year in order to provide continuity in this matter. Respectfully submitted: Chair - Amos E Simpson (Southwestern Louisiana) & Members - F Bullitt Lowry (North Texas), Light T Cummins (Austin College), Stephen A Webre (Louisiana Tech). Page last reviewed 9 July 2004. |