AFF (American Family Foundation) Changes Its Name to ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association)

In December 2004 AFF (American Family Foundation) officially changed its name to International Cultic Studies Association (ICSA). The change of name had been discussed for many years. Until a few years ago, those who felt that "AFF" had established an identity and was "known" had prevailed. However, several factors tilted the name-change decision in favor of those wanting a change.

First of all, the constituency of the organization has changed over the past 25 years. Initially, nearly everybody who contacted AFF for help did so because he/she had a child involved in a cultic group. AFF's unique role was to bring these parents into contact with helping professionals, increasing numbers of whom became interested in and/or involved with AFF as time passed. By the early 1990s, however, the majority of people contacting the organization were former group members who had left their groups without an intervention ("walk-aways"). By the late 1990s, AFF and people associated with the organization had completed a sizeable body of research and an increasing number of people, particularly researchers, from outside the United States began to get involved with the organization. At some recent conferences 25% of the attendees were from outside the U.S. Today, we speak of our four international "constituencies" of family members, former members, researchers, and helping professionals (including mental health, law, clergy, educators – some of whom are also former members of groups or family members of involved persons). Consequently, although "family" may have reflected the organization's focus in its early years, it no longer is THE focus, though it still remains a vital concern.

Most people favored "cultic studies" because it expressed the organization's interest areas without being so narrow and precise as to exclude phenomena that might be similar but not equivalent to those associated with the admittedly vague concept "cult." Many high-control or abusive groups from which people leave are not necessarily "cults" in a strict sense, but they may nonetheless resemble "cults" in some ways. "Cultic studies" also gives us a link to the past, for our journal has used that term since 1984 and our main Web site has used the term for the past several years.

The growth of the Web has also influenced the name change in that nearly everybody who contacts the organization today found out about us through a Web search. And these people rarely ever heard of "AFF" or "American Family Foundation." Therefore, a name that more accurately reflects what concerns the organization will more effectively "welcome" Web surfers than a name that many people associate with right wing political organizations, despite the fact that AFF/ICSA has always included people from across the political and religious spectrums.

We have begun modifying our Web sites to reflect the name change, a project that will take some time to complete. We hope you will be patient

About ICSA and Overview of the Issues

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ICSA 2005 Conference in Madrid, July 14-16

International Cultic Studies Association

(formerly AFF)

and

The Psychology Faculty, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid

Present

Psychological Manipulation, Cultic Groups, and Other Alternative Movements

July 14-16, 2005

The audience for this conference consists of researchers, helping professionals, former group members, families of group-involved persons, and others. The sessions are organized into five "tracks" or theme areas: (1) assistance, (2) research, (3) groups, (4) terrorism, and (5) legal/government. Some sessions are repeated in another language at another time. More than 100 speakers will give talks. For details, see the hyperlinks in the table below.

English	Español	Français
Program	Programa	Programme
Facility	Lugar de Celebración y Alojamientos	Services
Presenters	Ponentes	Présentateurs
Travel Info	Información sobre el viaje	Renseignements généraux de voyage
Fees	Cuotas de Inscripción y Alojamiento	Frais
Conference Home	Página Principal del Congreso	Page d'accueil du congrès
Ways to Register	Inscripción	Pour l’inscription

Where:

Universidad Autonoma de Madrid (Spain), Psychology Department

When:

July 14-16, 2005 (9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.)

Accommodations:

(1) University residences (very inexpensive; you may arrive early and depart late to build a vacation around the conference); (2) nearby hotels

Meals:

University cafeterias (about $6). In evening attendees are free to go to Madrid restaurants.

Low-Cost Vacation

Because of the low cost of the university residence rooms (which include kitchens), two people could spend two weeks in the beautiful city of Madrid for about $2400 ($1200 per person) plus meals and ground travel, given airfares current at the end of 2004. Most of Spain is within a day trip from Madrid, including Toledo, San Lorenzo del Escorial, Avila, and Segovia. Consult your tax advisor about possible tax-deductions related to attending the conference.

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