The African Studies Association (ASA) is committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive environment for all participants in all of its activities, free from harassment based on sex, race, age, ethnicity, national origin, religion, language, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, health conditions, socioeconomic status, marital status, domestic status, or parental status. All members and participants, including employees, contractors, vendors, volunteers, and guests, are expected to engage in respectful behavior and to preserve the ASA’s standard of professionalism at annual meetings, workshops, official and unofficial ASA gatherings.
All participants in ASA events are expected to abide by this Anti-Harassment Policy in all venues, including annual meetings, workshops, and ancillary events, as well as at official and unofficial social gatherings or through electronic communication.
Harassment may consist of a single intense and severe act or of multiple persistent or pervasive acts that are demeaning, abusive, or offensive, and create a hostile environment. Harassment may include sexual solicitation, physical advance, or verbal or non-verbal conduct that is sexual in nature. It can also include discriminatory remarks or actions based on an individual’s sex, gender, gender expression or sexual orientation. Harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal comment or physical conduct of a sexual nature, including situations in which the request or conduct involves any implied or expressed promise of professional reward for complying; or the request or conduct involves any implied or expressed threat of reprisal or denial of opportunity for refusing to comply; or the request or conduct results in what reasonably may be perceived as a hostile or intimidating environment. Harassment is not only sexual. It may also include threatening, intimidating, or hostile acts; circulation of written or graphic material that denigrates or shows hostility toward an individual or group; epithets, slurs or negative stereotyping based on group identity. In sum, harassment refers to behavior that reasonably situated persons would regard as not welcome and as personally intimidating, hostile, or offensive.
According to U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) guidelines, the victim of harassment can be anyone affected by the offensive conduct, not just the individual at whom the conduct is directed.
This anti-harassment policy and the structure for addressing violations are available within ASA’s Policies & Procedures. All participants in officially sanctioned ASA activities, including the annual meeting, acknowledge this policy and their willingness to abide by registering.
Incident Reporting Form
This form should be completed and submitted as soon as possible after learning of an incident that may violate the ASA Anti-Harassment Policy.
Please answer all questions as thoroughly as possible. If you do not know an answer to a question, please write “Unknown.” If a question may not apply, write “N/A.”