Provisional Statutes of the Situationist International

Adopted by the SI, July 1966

Translated by the American section


PARTICIPATION IN THE SI AND NATIONAL SECTIONS

1. The SI is an international association of individuals who, having proven an equality of capacities -- in general, not in every detail -- for our common theoretical and practical activity, are equal in all aspects of its democratic management. The majority decision is executed by all; the minority has the duty to break if opposition appears to it to concern a fundamental matter among the bases of agreement already recognized.

2. The SI organizes its activity on the basis of a division into national sections. This "national" criterion is understood both in geographic and cultural terms; it is possible, and desirable, that each section be itself partially international in its composition. Each section is also "national" in the sense that it deals with a central advanced activity in a given country; it does not seek to append to itself regional sub-sections in that country.

3. A member of the SI is ipso facto [a] member of any section where he decides to live and participate. Every member is responsible before the ensemble; and the SI is collectively engaged by the known behavior of each of its members.

4. The general assembly of all members is the only power of decision over the aggregate of theoretical and practical choices. Exactly as there exist practical obstacles to the presence of everyone, the SI admits of a system of delegates representing each of the members of the SI; these delegates may or may not carry an imperative (specific) mandate. Decisions taken -- at such meetings -- will be revocable by those who have mandated the delegates if the mandates have been general (left open); they are not revocable in cases where a delegate correctly executes a specific mandate.

ORGANIZATION OF NATIONAL SECTIONS

5. Each section, under its own responsibility and in the framework of general directives adopted by the ensemble, democratically decides on all aspects of its publications, contacts and projects. It publishes, if possible a review, the editorial management of which is entirely in its hands. It goes without saying that projects or theoretical hypotheses personally undertaken cannot be limited by the section, nor by the ensemble of the SI.

6. Each section is sole judge, on its terrain, of breaks (with persons on the outside) and adhesions: it only assumes before the ensemble the responsibility to guard against everything that might lower the general level of the SI (cf. Article 3) or introduce a notable inequality among participants. The ensemble of the SI, as soon as it is informed, recognizes and automatically upholds all breaks and adhesions.

7. Each section is master of its exclusions. It must furnish the reasons and all useful documents immediately to all other sections. In cases where the facts would be disputed by the excluded comrades, or in cases where another section would demand a new discussion on the very basis of the dispute, these exclusions would be suspended until a general conference (or a meeting of delegates) would make the final decision. As a general rule, it is not admissible that theoretical or programmatic oppositions -- even very serious ones -- be dealt with by exclusion until a general meeting of the SI can discuss it. But all practical failings must be dealt with urgently, on the spot. Every divergence or choice which does not require exclusion allows for resignation.

8. On all theoretical and tactical questions that have not met with unanimity during discussion (debate), each member is free to maintain his position (without, for that, breaking practical solidarity). If the same problems and divergences are met on several successive occasions, the members who are in agreement over one of the options have the right to openly constitute a tendency, and to prepare texts to clarify and sustain their point of view, until final resolution (by rediscovered unanimity, or break, or by the practical surpassing of the divergence). Such texts can be distributed throughout the SI, and can also appear in the publications of one or several sections. A tendency over a general tactical problem should be normally itself be international (therefore tracing a division within several sections).

9. In exceptional cases where a situationist would find himself isolated, while at the same time being active on a concrete terrain (a country where he would by himself [sic] act in the name of the SI), he must alone determine his activity, while remaining responsible before the ensemble.

10. The existing sections can agree, if the need, arises, to temporarily divide their contacts or activities in certain countries where no SI section exists, and this for varying reasons, such as convenience of common language or geographic closeness. Such a division must not be institutionalized, nor must it notably increase the importance of one of the sections over the others.

11. Each section will organize its own complete financial autonomy; but in this domain also it will show -- as its means permit -- solidarity with other sections that might be in need.

COORDINATION BETWEEN SECTIONS

12. The general conference of the SI must meet as often as possible, with all -- or at least the greatest number of -- members who can get there: in no case will it be held without the presence of or at least one delegate from the section that would have the greatest difficulty in getting there.

13. To coordinate the activity of the SI in the periods between conferences, meetings of delegates from the sections will be held every time they will be needed. Each delegate will dispose of the exact number of votes from the situationists of the section that has mandated him [sic]. In cases where two different positions would exist in a section, it would have two delegates, each representing the number of votes maintained in each position. Every member of the SI can participate in delegate meetings, and vote: but with his vote only; such a vote could therefore not also be accorded a delegate.

14. A section that could not send a delegate to a meeting has the right to have itself represented by a situationist it would choose from another section, and who will carry a specific mandate. The selected delegate should be told early enough to allow him to refuse to uphold a mandate whose content he [sic] would disapprove of. The section that can't attend would then have to ask another situationist to defend its point of view.

[Editor's note: this text should be read in the context of The Question of Organization for the Situationist International written by Guy Debord in April 1968.]


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