Editing Vexillology (section)

==History==
American scholar [[Whitney Smith]] is acknowledged for conceiving "vexillology" in 1957. He wrote, "While the use of flags goes back to the earliest days of human civilization, the study of that usage in a serious fashion is so recent that the term for it did not appear in print until 1959."<ref>{{cite web |title=Vexillology |url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-vex.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161024040950/http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vxt-vex.html |archive-date=2016-10-24 |access-date=2017-11-03 |publisher=CRW Flags }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Vexillology |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vexillology |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200917022839/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vexillology |archive-date=17 September 2020 |access-date=15 September 2020 |website=Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary}}</ref> Before this time, the study of flags was generally considered a part of [[heraldry]], the study of armorial bearings.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Fox-Davies |first=Arthur Charles |url=https://archive.org/details/completeguidetoh00foxdrich |title=A Complete Guide to Heraldry |publisher=T.C. & E.C. Jack |year=1909 |isbn=9781602390010 |location=London, Edinburgh |page=1 |oclc=913797670}}</ref>

Vexillology was formalized by American scholar Smith in 1961 with the publication of ''The Flag Bulletin''.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Consider Vexillology |url=https://semioticon.com/semiotix/2013/05/consider-vexillology/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180401212707/https://semioticon.com/semiotix/2013/05/consider-vexillology/ |archive-date=2018-04-01 |access-date=2018-04-01 |website=semioticon.com – SemiotiX}}</ref> During his lifetime, Smith organized various flag organizations and meetings including the first [[International Federation of Vexillological Associations#International Congresses of Vexillology|International Congress of Vexillology]] (ICV), the [[North American Vexillological Association]], and the [[International Federation of Vexillological Associations]] (FIAV).<ref>{{cite news |last1=Vulliamy |first1=Elsa |date=December 15, 2015 |title=Which flag is it? Take our quiz to find out |work=[[The Independent]] |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/puzzles-and-games/quizzes/can-you-recognise-these-flags-a6774121.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=March 13, 2016 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220817/https://www.independent.co.uk/extras/puzzles-and-games/quizzes/can-you-recognise-these-flags-a6774121.html |archive-date=2022-08-17}}</ref>

Vexillology involves academic work in [[sociology]], history, or design. It also includes contributions from the flag industry and interest from those passionate about flags. The ICV and local vexillological meetings often cover a wide range of interests in flags. Since 1969, an International Congress of Vexillology meeting has been organized every two years under the auspices of FIAV; papers presented at an ICV are published afterwards as the Congress's ''Proceedings''.<ref name=":0" />