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Welcome to the website of the International Association for Semiotic Studies. We are a global scholarly organization devoted to the study of the sign and semiosis in all their ramifications across nature and culture

The International Association for Semiotic Studies — L’ Association Internationale de Sémiotique (IASS-AIS) was founded in 1969 and is the world’s leading organization in semiotics.

The IASS-AIS has both individual and collective members (international and multinational associations dealing with the semiotics of particular topics, national semiotics associations, regional groups, research centers, etc.). Counted among its founding members are scholars such as Algirdas Julien Greimas, Roman Jakobson, Julia Kristeva, Emile Benveniste, Thomas A. Sebeok, and Jurij M. Lotman.

The current Bureau of the IASS comprises:

President
Paul Cobley (United Kingdom)

Secretary general
Kristian Bankov (Bulgaria)

Vice-Presidents
EUROPE: José María Paz Gago (Spain)
AMERICAS: Neyla Pardo (Colombia)
ASIA and OCEANIA (without China): Kim Sung-do (Korea)
AFRICA: Mohamed Bernoussi (Morocco)
CHINA: Jie Zhang (China)

Vice-secretary general: Marita Soto/Nacho Sigal (Argentina)

Social media communication manager: Sebastián Moreno (Uruguay)

Treasurer
Daina Teters (Latvia)

Editors-in-Chief of Semiotica:

Stéphanie Walsh Matthews (Canada)
Massimo Leone (Italy)
Jamin Pelkey (Canada)

Honorary Presidents:
Eero Tarasti (Finland)
Umberto Eco ✝ (Italy)
Jerzy Pelc ✝ (Poland)
Roland Posner ✝ (Germany)
Cesare Segre ✝ (Italy)
Gloria Withalm (Austria)

According to Article 2 of the Statuts de l’Association Internationale de Sémiotique, the IASS-AIS has the following goals:

  1. Promoting the integrity of semiotics as scientific research

(Promouvoir les recherches sémiotiques dans un esprit scientifique);

  1. Strengthening and broadening international ties within the field of semiotics

(Renforcer la coopération internationale dans ce domaine);

  1. Reinforcing collaborations with similar associations

(Collaborer avec d’autres associations similaires);

  1. Organising conferences and workshops both at the national and international level

(Organiser des colloques nationaux et internationaux et des stages de formation);

  1. Publishing an international journal, Semiotica

(Publier une revue internationale [. . .]: Semiotica).

The IASS-AIS comprises nearly 800 members representing all continents. Combined with the members of affiliated multinational, national, regional associations, research groups and circles, the Association represents more than thousand of semioticians who are organized all over the world.

The major governing body of the IASS is the General Assembly (GA). The GA is convened during the world Congress. During the GA, all present members elect national and scholarly association representatives to the Executive Committee/Comité Directeur for a five-year period. Since the last General Assembly in Sofia, 2014, this group has represented 83 different countries (with each country having no more than two representatives).

The Executive Committee (EC) elects the Bureau of the IASS whose representatives also serve a five-year term. The Bureau of the IASS-AIS consists of 11 members (the President, five Vice-Presidents, a Secretary General, an Assistant Secretary General, a Treasurer, an Assistant Treasurer, and the Editor-in-Chief of Semiotica).

Short history

Tasks for the future