Proposed Statement of Community Values (June 2025)

History

A version of this document was created by the ISGS Code of Conduct Task Force, established in October 2018. The Task Force was made up of the ISGS Board, plus two society members, Kate Mesh and Lauren Gawne, who were appointed by the Board. The Board thanks Kate and Lauren for initiating this process and for creating a first draft of this document. The final document is the result of that first draft plus various additions and edits by members of the ISGS Board.

Community Values

The International Society for Gesture Studies is a welcoming and inclusive group of scholars dedicated to providing a harassment-free and supportive conference experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion, political orientation or nationality.[1]

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

● Comments that marginalize, intimidate or belittle related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, religion (or lack thereof), political orientation, and nationality.

● Inappropriate sexual images in public spaces

● Deliberate intimidation or stalking

● Unwelcome photography or recording

● Sustained or repeated disruption of talks or other conference events

● Unwelcome physical contact or sexual attention

● Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

 In addition, although the following may not always fall under “harassment,” our society strongly discourages: 1) comments that disparage or dismiss a particular field of study as being irrelevant or unimportant to an issue, and 2) attempts to use one’s seniority, status or expertise in the field to shut down debate or dissent. 

This statement of values is intended to encourage open and respectful scientific inquiry: We affirm that critical examination of a speaker’s viewpoint, when expressed respectfully, does not constitute harassment. Similarly, we affirm that presenters can respectfully contextualize material that is sexual or that pertains to group status. We expect ISGS members to maintain an inclusive, respectful and supportive environment when expressing disagreement or presenting potentially sensitive material. Finally, we acknowledge cultural differences in inquiry and expression, and in cases in which cultural values and ISGS community values conflict, this as an opportunity for dialogue to resolve or manage the differences.

Acknowledgment of Contribution

We acknowledge the board of the EVOLANG conference series, a group that preceded ISGS in creating a code of conduct for its membership. Text from the EVOLANG code is reproduced here, with gratitude. We also acknowledge the Cognitive Science Society for the text regarding “open and respectful scientific inquiry.”

[1] Although this statement is primarily focused on conference conduct, it also applies to the ISGS list-serv and social media threads that include official connection to the Society.