Charter of Les Temps Qui Restent

One of the original features of the Temps qui restent project is that it challenges the traditional concept of the editorial board, which we believe is no longer aligned with the contemporary landscape. In the past, intellectual influence was often associated with small groups of individuals, often centered around a single figure, who exerted their influence from major urban hubs. It seems unlikely that the contemporary world will be influenced by an intellectual power structured in this way. We are seeking to identify other potential intersections between intellectual work and tangible real-world transformations. For a more detailed argument, please refer to Patrice Maniglier’s text «Introducing Les Temps qui restent».

Another distinctive feature of Les Temps qui restent is its explicit delineation of the decision-making processes pertaining to both the publication of content and the functioning of its governing bodies. This explicitness is necessitated by the number of individuals involved in the project (over a hundred at the time of the journal’s launch) and by the project’s underlying spirit, which strives to reconcile two requirements whose tension lies at the heart of our present: plurality and unity. The objective is to facilitate the convergence of individuals and groups, while maintaining the diversity of opinions, generations, disciplines, and media forms. To achieve this, it is necessary to maximize the autonomy of participants (so that the website becomes a tool for them) without enclosing them in bubbles that do not interact with each other. The website should not become a neutral platform; instead, it should act as a sensitive membrane for a collective searching for itself, without ever presupposing the unity it aims to build. The search for such a balance led to the adoption of the detailed governance rules set forth below.

The governance of the project is largely dependent on digital resources, with the technical constraints serving to implement the ethical choices that have been made. Such content is therefore only accessible via the private section of the website. Nevertheless, we deemed it essential to make these governance rules public, not only because they constitute an integral part of our collective identity, but also because any individual can submit content to the journal, thereby acquiring the right to be informed of the conditions under which their content is to be published or not.

The objective of the procedural rules delineated below is not to exercise control over collective action; rather, it is to facilitate the maximum degree of possible involvement on the part of each individual in the achievement of the collective project. Consequently, the objective is to achieve the greatest possible asymmetry between proposing and blocking, in favor of the former, while simultaneously preventing the private capture of the collective framework. Membership in the TQR Council entails participation in a community where the power to act is more significant than the ability to impede others’ actions. The capacity to influence collective destiny is commensurate with one’s operational investment and capacity to propose constructive alternatives. Above all, our objective is to establish a collective based on mutual trust and a spirit of inquiry, rather than on the desire to exercise excessive control over the quality of the work produced. The words «here you go» will always be of greater value to us than the words «no you can’t».

The TQR aims to achieve a state wherein all its bodies are:

If ever it turns out that there is a major imbalance, whether in the Collective of the TQR, its Council or its Executive Committee, we will use this as a reason to try to restructure these groups, going so far as to suspend our activities until a better balance has been found.

Anyone (individual or collective) who has published in the TQR is automatically part of what we will call the «Collective». They have a page on the site where they can introduce themselves as they wish.

Any individual or entity that provides financial support to the TQR in the amount of 100 euros per year is eligible to become a member of the Collective. Should they so desire, they may publish a personal profile on the website, wherein they may explain the reasons behind their commitment. It is important to note that the list of TQR contributors should not be confused with that of the Collective.

Members of the Collective do not have access to the private section of the site.

The Council is the collective desiring force behind the TQR. It is the team that fabricates the TQR. Its role is to act, propose, discuss and, to a lesser extent, decide

Only members of the Executive Committee have unlimited voting (and therefore decision-making) powers, but there is no condition for membership of the Executive Committee other than to put oneself forward. The reason for this restrictive provision is to encourage the involvement of as many Councilpersons as possible in the Executive Committee and to associate power and action as closely as possible. Any Member of the Council can take part in the discussion, give their opinion and thus contribute to the debates, even if they do not vote. In this way, they can contribute to the collective decision without necessarily becoming involved in the operational labor of the journal.

The Council of the TQR is in permanent contact via the private area of the website.

The Council of the TQR is invited to meet in person at a General Meeting twice a year.

Exceptional General Meetings may be called at any time by a majority decision of the Executive Committee.

Smaller meetings on specific issues or thematic areas are encouraged.

Recruitment. For Les Temps qui restent, the principle is simple: co-optation. Any member of the Council of Les Temps qui restent can nominate another member. This candidacy is then open to online discussion and is approved or rejected by an online vote organized within three months of the proposal (except in the event of an emergency or extension procedure decided by the Executive Committee). A member of the Council cannot vote more than three times a year for the recruitment of a new member unless they have been a member of the Executive Committee for at least two years (i.e. they have carried out a certain number of editorial tasks: composed a dossier, managed the website, organized meetings, etc.).

Exclusion. If at least two members of the Council wish to exclude another person from the Council, this proposal is put to the vote.

Resignation. Anyone can resign from the Council: they then have the right to write a text (or a contribution in any other media) which will be published immediately in the next issue, in the «Debates» section, explaining the reasons for their resignation.

Any member of the Council may join it by their own decision. They must then publicly inform the Council as a whole. A member of the Executive Committee who wishes to remain in office must formally renew their intention to do so after a period of one year and be communicated during a General Meeting.

The role of the Executive Committee is to carry out all the operational work required to fabricate the journal and to implement Council’s decisions.

All members of the Executive Committee have the technical power to put contributions online on the public part of the website. Of course, they are expected to do so only if and when the texts have been validated beforehand, in accordance with the procedure outlined below. They have access to the private section of the website.

It is possible for any member of the Executive Committee to initiate an emergency procedure for a publication.

A person may be excluded from the Executive Committee on two grounds. Failure to act: this person is then excluded by a vote reserved for members of the Executive Committee. A substantive reason: a person may be excluded from the Executive Committee for a substantive reason, but they must then also be excluded from the Council, in accordance with the procedure reserved for this purpose. Any person subject to a procedure for internal exclusion from the Executive Committee on the grounds of inaction may always challenge this decision before the Council, which thus retains the power to determine what constitutes a good threshold of commitment for membership of the Executive Committee.

The Scientific Committee is comprised of leading scholars working in various research fields, whose expertise is likely to be relevant to the publications submitted to the journal. It is a highly multidisciplinary body.

The members of the Scientific Committee are consulted by the Executive Committee to appraise the scientific publications to be published in the «Studies» section. The Committee may, at any time, remove any publication from the «Studies» section. 

Anyone can submit a contribution (text, video, sound, etc.) to the journal via a dedicated page on the website.

The contribution is then made available to all members of the Council of the TQR in the private area of the site. This contribution is only proposed for publication if it has been validated by at least one member of the Council. The contribution is then considered pre-validated.

A contribution that has not been approved for 3 months is deemed to have been rejected. But, conversely, any contribution prevalidated by a member of the Council is automatically accepted if no one objects.

Nota Bene. This provision is important because it ensures that participation in the Council is not so much the power to judge texts as to propose them.

Any member of the Council can submit a contribution (of which they might be the author) and prevalidate it themselves: it is then immediately proposed for publication.

Nota Bene. It is perfectly acceptable and even expected for anyone who wants to publish something in the TQR to contact directly a member of the Council they know. One of the functions of the Council is precisely to bring in interesting contributions by joining our networks and webs of alliances.

Submitted contributions are made available to the Council for a maximum of three months, unless an emergency or extension procedure is decided upon by the Executive Committee.

A forum is available on the internal section of the site for online discussion on whether or not the text should be published, on the possible conditions for revision under which it would be considered publishable, or on any substantial questions it raises.

Past 3 months, if no one has objected to the publication of a contribution pre-validated by a Member of the Council, it is automatically accepted. It is then passed on to the Executive Committee.

If at least one member of the Council is opposed, he or she makes this known, and an online vote is held in which the whole Council can participate. But beware: a Member of Council may not refuse more than three contributions per year if not involved also in the Executive Committee.

Should the contribution be intended for publication in the «Studies» section and be of a scientific nature, the Executive Committee will request that the Scientific Committee organize a review process.

Any member of the Executive Committee may initiate an emergency procedure for the publication of content (particularly in the case of an «intervention»). Subsequently, the individual in question establishes the deadlines for both the preliminary validation and the subsequent discussion.

In no objections are raised, the publication is deemed to have been accepted. In the event that at least one member of the Council has requested a vote, such a vote shall be held at least 48 hours prior to the intended date of publication. The individual who submitted the text using the emergency procedure is responsible for ensuring its editorial follow-through.

Should at least two members of the Executive Committee deem it necessary, the period for discussion of a publication may be extended beyond the initial three-month deadline. This extension is contingent upon the individual who submitted the publication being informed and consenting to the extension.

Once a contribution has been accepted, at least one member of the Executive Committee is tasked with reviewing it and, if necessary, correcting it, making only minimal corrections, of course, in discussion with the authors of the publication. The same person puts it online on the public section of the website. In the event of disagreement between the author and the member of the Executive Committee responsible for the editorial follow-up of the contribution, the author may inform the Executive Committee, which will appoint another member to continue the editorial work.

Les Temps Qui Restent is a multimedia, multilingual collective organized around a digital journal that is distributed free of charge, with no advertising and no subscriptions, and run by a wide group of volunteers.

Initial funding for Les Temps qui reste was provided by the association «Les Amis des Temps Modernes», as well as by EUR ArTeC.

Its operations are primarily funded through donations. These resources are intended to maintain and enrich the website, as well as to finance the expenses related to our various activities (translations, print publications, events, video editing, etc.).

In order to supplement these resources, Les Temps qui restent will apply for grants and fellowships.

In order to propose and vote on a modification to the operating rules stipulated in this Charter, it is necessary to have been a member of the Council for at least five years and a member of the Executive Committee for at least two years.