https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3310-9622
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Abstract
Islandness is a contested concept, not just between disciplines but also cultures, entangled with what islands, island studies, and island identity are understood to be. The purpose of this article is to explore some of these different meanings, without necessarily unifying or reconciling them, with the aim of keeping multiple understandings of islandness in creative tension. We begin by considering islandness as smallness, recognizing that though many entry points into island studies relate to size in some way, what constitutes small is dependent on both context and worldview. Next, we consider islandness as culture, and the concept of island identity, which is expressed in varied forms. Finally, we consider framings of islands as others, and the extent to which contemporary narratives linked to islands are really inherent to islands or not. Ultimately, we conclude that although there is much to be gained from appreciating differing understandings of islandness, these multiple meanings make it critical to reflect on context wherever the term is used, and exercise care in assigning attributes and outcomes to islandness.
在各学科之间和各文化之间, 岛屿性都是一个有争议的概念。岛屿性还涉及对岛屿、岛屿研究和岛屿身份的理解。本文旨在探索某些不同理解, 而非统一或调和这些理解, 旨在维持岛屿性多种理解的创新性讨论。我们首先将岛屿性视为微小。尽管岛屿研究的许多切入点都与大小有关, 但微小的构成取决于背景和世界观。我们将岛屿性视为一种文化和具有不同表达形式的岛屿身份概念。最后, 我们将岛屿视为“其它”, 思考了岛屿的当代叙事在多大程度上是岛屿所固有的。我们的结论是, 尽管对岛屿性的不同理解可以给我们带来许多收获, 但这些理解要求我们在使用岛屿性这个词的时候, 必须考虑其背景并谨慎地为其赋予属性和后果。
La insularidad es un concepto controvertido, no solo entre disciplinas sino también entre culturas, dentro del enredo de lo que de diverso modo se entiende por islas, estudios insulares e identidad isleña. El propósito de este artículo es explorar algunos de estos significados diferentes, sin que necesariamente se busque unificarlos o reconciliarlos entre sí, sino con la mira de conservar el múltiple entendimiento de la insularidad en tensión creativa. Nuestro punto de partida es considerar la insularidad como pequeñez, reconociendo que, si bien el comienzo de muchos estudios sobre islas de algún modo se relacionan con tamaño, la implicación de lo pequeño depende tanto del contexto como de la visión del mundo. Luego, consideramos la insularidad como cultura, y el concepto de identidad insular, que se expresa de forma muy variada. Finalmente, consideramos las ideas que existen sobre las islas, y el ámbito dentro del cual las narrativas contemporáneas relacionadas con islas son realmente inherentes o no con la noción de islas. En últimas, concluimos que, aunque hay mucho que ganar apreciando la variada comprensión de la insularidad, esa misma multiplicación de significados determina la importancia crucial de reflexionar en contexto cuandoquiera el término sea usado, y tener cuidado al asignar a la insularidad atributos y resultados.
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Acknowledgments
This article was catalyzed by an online conference organized by Birkbeck, University of London and the University of Malta in November 2020, as part of the SUNRISE project. A recording of the event is available at https://arcg.is/1y0vOz. The authors thank all speakers and participants.
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Notes on contributors
Aideen Foley
AIDEEN FOLEY is a Senior Lecturer in Environmental Geography at Birkbeck, University of London WC1E 7HX, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include community understandings of, and responses to, extreme weather and climate change, and applications of climate and environmental data in informing decision-making, with a particular focus on small islands.
Laurie Brinklow
LAURIE BRINKLOW is Assistant Professor of Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PE C1A 4P3, Canada, where she coordinates the Master of Arts in Island Studies Program and serves as Chair of the Institute of Island Studies. E-mail: [email protected]. A writer and poet, her research interests are in islandness and island identity, using arts-based research methodologies in island studies, and island habitability and well-being. She is President of the International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA) and Iceland’s Honorary Consul to Prince Edward Island.
Jack Corbett
JACK CORBETT is Professor and Head in the School of Social Sciences, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]. He has a long-standing interest in the politics of small states and is co-director of the Resilient and Sustainable Islands Initiative (RESI) based at ODI in London.
Ilan Kelman
ILAN KELMAN is Professor of Disasters and Health, University College London, London, England, WC1E 6BT, UK and the University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway, 4630. E-mail: [email protected] His research interests include islanders and islands connecting disaster and health topics, including climate change, migration, diplomacy, sustainability, and inclusivity.
Carola Klöck
CAROLA KLÖCK is Assistant Professor in Political Science, Center for International Research, Sciences Po Paris, Paris 75007, France. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research examines the politics of climate change in small island states, with a particular focus on coastal adaptation and climate negotiations.
Stefano Moncada
STEFANO MONCADA is the Director of the Islands and Small States Institute (ISSI), Senior Lecturer, and Researcher at the University of Malta, Msida, MSD2080, Malta. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include the links between economic development and climate change in the context of islands and small states, and issues related to multidimensional vulnerability and resilience applied to small island developing states.
Michelle Mycoo
MICHELLE MYCOO is a Professor of Urban and Regional Planning in the Department of Geomatics Engineering and Land Management, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago. E-mail: [email protected]. Her research interests include adaptation to climate change, building community resilience to climate change, disaster risk reduction, and water management in small island developing states. She has more than twenty-five years of research experience working on small island developing states issues.
Patrick Nunn
PATRICK NUNN is Professor in the Geography, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs QLD 4556, Australia. E-mail: [email protected]. With more than three decades of research experience in island worlds, his current interests focus on climate change and the associated challenges of livelihood sustainability.
Jonathan Pugh
JONATHAN PUGH is Professor of Island Studies, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. His work on Anthropocene islands explores how islands have become productive for the development of key strands of contemporary Anthropocene thinking.
Stacy-ann Robinson
STACY-ANN ROBINSON is an Assistant Professor of Environmental Studies, Colby College, Waterville, ME 04901. E-mail: [email protected]. She researches the human, social, and policy dimensions of climate change adaptation in small island developing states, with a special focus on adaptation finance and climate justice.
Verena Tandrayen-Ragoobur
VERENA TANDRAYEN-RAGOOBUR is Associate Professor in the Economics, University of Mauritius, Reduit MU 80837. E-mail: [email protected]. She leads the Pole of Research Excellence in Social and Economic Policy Analysis and is the co-chair of the WTO Chairs Programme at the University of Mauritius. Her research interests are in development economics, international trade, climate change, gender equality, and labor market issues across African countries and small island developing states.
Rory Walshe
RORY WALSHE is a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1TN, UK. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include disaster response and risk reduction, particularly investigating the role of local knowledge, culture, and long-term processes in community vulnerability and resilience.