At
the invitation of Professor Laurent Tissot, ICHS Treasurer,
the Bureau restreint met at the University
of Neuchâtel on 14 March 2008. The purpose of
the meeting was to review ICHS operations between the
regular meetings in Beijing (September 2007) and The
Hague (November 2008).
Present:
José Luis Peset, President, Laurent
Tissot, Treasurer and Jean-Claude Robert, Secretary
General.
Agenda:
| 1. |
Opening
statement |
| 2. |
ICHS
Operations |
| 3. |
Treasurer's
Financial Report |
| 4. |
Preparations
for the Amsterdam Congress |
| 5. |
Miscellaneous |
1.
Opening statement
The President welcomed the members of the Bureau
restreint and thanked Laurent Tissot for his hospitality.
The main purpose of the meeting was to discuss the preparations
for the Amsterdam Congress.
2.
ICHS Operations
The
Bulletin was mailed to all members on 8 January.
This year's edition, published in 600 copies, was larger
than usual (235 pages) because it included the minutes
of the Beijing General Assembly and the reports of the
two sub-committees.
The
ICHS Website has been updated and now includes the full
version of the Bulletin. As promised, the proceedings
from the symposium on Chinese historiography, contributed
by the Chinese National Committee, have also been posted
for consultation. In addition, the Website design has
been slightly modified to make it more user friendly.
| c) |
National
Committees, International Affiliated Organizations,
Internal Commissions |
The
South African National Committee (Southern African Historical
Society) contacted the Secretary General to give him
the names of the members of its new Bureau
and to express its interest in the ICHS. On 11 March,
the Secretary General had a very productive meeting
in Cambridge with the President of the Royal Historical
Society. They discussed the society's expectations of
the ICHS and its transition to a full-fledged British
National Committee. On the Latin American front, Hilda
Sabato held consultations on the possibility of reviving
some National Committees in that region.
There
are no new developments to report with regard to the
Affiliated International Organizations and Internal
Commissions.
The
ICHS is a founding member of the International Council
for Philosophy and Humanistic Studies. The ICPHS publishes
a journal, Diogène, and provides an
international forum for discussing and fostering cooperation.
In the past, UNESCO has given the ICPHS subsidies to
help historians from the developing world attend the
quinquennial congress. The ICPHS is funded by UNESCO,
but its budget has been drastically cut back over the
past six years. However, the organization is now regaining
traction, and a new contract with UNESCO is in the works
for 2008-2013. The ICHS will be requesting a grant for
the upcoming Congress. The next ICPHS General Assembly
will be held in Cape Town from 24 to 29 November 2008.
3.
Treasurer's Financial Report
The
Treasurer presented the profit and loss accounts for
2007 and the balance sheet dated 31 December 2007. The
account shows revenues of CHF 47,919.95 and expenditures
of CHF 49,583.37, resulting in a negative balance of
CHF 1,663.42. This deficit is due to the expenses of
the Beijing General Assembly. The balance sheet assets
(reserves) amount to CHF 113,504.05, a slight decrease
compared with 2006. The Treasurer distributed copies
of the profit and loss accounts and the balance sheet,
as prepared by the Financial Department of the Université
de Lausanne, as well as a bank statement dated 31 December 2007.
The
Treasurer also reviewed the question of membership fees.
In June 2008, a reminder will be sent out to members
in arrears asking them to settle their accounts.
An
agreement was reached concerning the payment of the
Secretary General's and the Treasurer's usual expenses.
4.
Preparations for the 2010 Amsterdam Congress
On
6 November, the Secretary General held a working meeting
in Amsterdam with Professor Hans Blom, President of
The Netherlands Organizing Committee, and the Committee
members. Discussions focused on getting the Website
ready for registration and selecting the communicators.
The Affiliated International Organizations will be able
to use the Website to build their program. The Amsterdam
Organizing Committee is working on establishing a Solidarity
Fund to help members from developing countries attend
the Congress.
Selection
of organizers and discussants
The
selection process has begun, but the Bureau
sub-committee has delayed its work and extended the
deadline by one month, as requested by ICHS members.
The
number of ICHS members who proposed candidates is comparable
to the number who did so for the last Congress: 39 in
2008 vs. 40 in 2003. Furthermore, a large number of
proposals has been received from all sources (organizers,
discussants and communicators): 624 for all sessions.
The new round table format may not have been clearly
understood because the Secretariat received proposals
for discussants, even though none had been requested.
The
members of the Bureau sub-committee (José
Luis Peset, Hilda Sabato, William Jordan, Jean-Claude
Robert, and Pierre Ducrey) will be receiving the information
shortly and will discuss the final list by e-mail before
submitting it to the other Bureau members.
Opening
and closing sessions
The
members discussed Hans Blom's proposal for the opening
session, after comments from the President. It was decided
that the session's timetable should be reviewed to ensure
that there is enough time for all the presentations.
Some thematic consistency should also be ensured.
5.
Miscellaneous
Next
Bureau meeting in 2008
The
next Bureau meeting will be held in The Hague,
The Netherlands, from 12 to 16 November 2008. It will
begin with a symposium on "The Relevance of Dutch
History for International History" on 13 and 14 November
(Thursday and Friday). The Bureau will then convene
on Saturday the 15th and Sunday morning the 16th. Members
are scheduled to arrive on the 12th and depart on the
16th or 17th.
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