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COVID-19 cripples small fishers:
Is there help on the way?

Here on Prince Edward Island, we're waiting to hear if there'll be a fishing season come May. In Europe, already fishers are coming to terms with the loss of their livelihoods.

Brian O’Riordan, Executive Secretary of the LIFE (Low Impact Fishers of Europe) Platform, is soliciting information from the global islands community, alerting the wider population on islands of the financially disastrous situation faced by smaller fishers due to the COVID-19 virus crisis. He asks that you send him information about the situation of small fishers in your associations and/or your own experience of the effects of COVID. Brian’s address is below: he would really appreciate your contribution to filling in the picture of small fishers' current dilemmas: whether the small-scale fishers in your islands are tied up, or are able to continue to fish; how you are affected by market closures; and if sanitary and other restrictions (isolation and social distancing) are being applied.

Brian O’Riordan
Executive Secretary
LIFE Platform
Brussels, Belgium
lifeplatform.eu   deputy@lifeplatform.eu
 

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Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation
Survey:
COVID-19 in rural Canada

Survey
The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) has created a short survey (5-10 minutes) asking about your concerns and needs during this time for your rural community and/or rural Canada in general. Responses will help guide future CRRF actions and projects related to helping rural communities adapt and recover from the evolving implications of COVID-19. Anonymous information from the surveys will also help to inform an immediate response on rural and COVID-19 to be sent out to media outlets.
 
Please find the survey here.
 
#COVID19RURAL 
Please use the following hashtag on social media when sharing or discussing news related to COVID-19 and rural: #COVID19RURAL
 
This hashtag will allow CRRF to collect information for future actions and projects.
 
CRRF Website - COVID-19 Resources & Information 
CRFF has created a COVID-19 resources and information page on the CRRF website with links to information shared by various levels of government and rural organizations from across the country. Please feel free to share this page and to send information for this resource page to crrf-fcrr@live.com. 
 

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CALL FOR PAPERS

Special section on ‘Small States and the Corona Crisis’ in
Small States & Territories, 4(1), May 2021
Guest Editors: Anna-Lena Högenauer, Külli Sarapuu and Nicos Trimikliniotis

Since the discovery of the COVID-19 virus in late December 2019, the ‘Corona crisis’ has advanced within just three months to become the dominant topic of conversation in Europe and beyond. Politics within states and relations between states now focus almost exclusively on how to ‘flatten the curve’, contain or manage the ‘Corona crisis’.

Against this backdrop, the online journal Small States & Territories (SST) calls for the submission of manuscripts to a special section on ‘Small States and the Corona Crisis’ to appear in Vol. 4, No. 1, due to appear online in May 2021.

We believe that the situation of small states in the crisis differs from that of larger states. For example, there are typically limits to the number of health specialists (e.g. virologists and epidemiologists); small states may find it difficult to promptly acquire protective and testing equipment from the international market; and even general information on those ‘testing positive’ can seriously jeopardise privacy and data protection rights. But: there may also be substantial differences between small states. For example, some small states and territories could potentially isolate their populations and shut their borders fairly effectively. In contrast, other small states with land-borders are economically highly dependent on an immigrant workforce coming from the surrounding states and struggle under the tendency of larger states to close their borders.

We are particularly interested in contributions that, for example:

·       identify the specific challenges that the 2020 ‘Corona Crisis’ poses to the economies and societies of small states;
·       explore how the ‘Corona crisis’ has affected (and perhaps strained) relations between small states and other (e.g. neighbouring) states;
·       interrogate how the ‘Corona crisis’ sheds light on the workings of public administration and management in small states; and
·       examine the manner in which the responses of small states to the ‘Corona crisis’ shed light on the practice of politics, governance and democracy within these small states.

Manuscripts that are comparative in approach are particularly welcome.

The special section editors (Anna-Lena Högenauer, Külli Sarapuu and Nicos Trimikliniotis) invite interested authors to send an abstract of around 300 words to: sst@um.edu.mt by Friday, 15^th May 2020. Interested authors should note that – due to the aim to publish early in 2021 – the deadline for the submission of manuscripts is Friday, 2^nd October 2020.

 

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ISLAND STUDIES JOURNAL
CALL FOR PAPERS

Onwards to island sustainability futures: An exploration of the SDGs on islands
special section of Island Studies Journal, 17(1), May 2022
Guest Editor: John N. Telesford

September 2020 will mark five years since the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 was agreed by all states of the World, with SIDS being no exception. Seventeen sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 169 targets were adopted with the intent of providing a holistic approach to sustainable development. Over the past five years, a number of regional and global studies and research papers on the SDGs have been reported and published in academic journals. However, there is a dearth of research and studies conducted on the SDGs in the context of island states and territories, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This special section aims to fill this literature gap. Moreover, after five years of adopting the SDGs, this section attempts to analyse how islands have been engaging with the SDGs and determine how the SDGs may be guiding islands towards sustainability. Key challenges associated with the SDGs’ implementation and the opportunities to enhance island sustainability in the context of the myriad of pressures from inter alia, climate change; poverty; global recessions and other economic, environmental and social malaise, are of keen interest. The papers submitted for consideration in this special section may focus on an individual SDG or treat the following themes:

1. Governance, policy and management approaches for the SDGs on islands
2. Sustainable development plans and SDGs integration for the implementation of the SDGs on islands
3. Data requirements and challenges with the implementation of the SDGs on islands
4. Communities, islanders, sectoral engagement with and knowledge of the SDGs
5. SDGs and island sustainability futures
6. Regional (CARICOM, OECS, Pacific Islands Countries) and global organisations (UN) approaches to engaging with the SDGs on islands.

This special section will be published in May 2022 in Island Studies Journal (ISJ), but individual papers will be published online ahead of print as and when they complete the peer review and editorial process. ISJ is a web-based, freely downloadable, open access, peer reviewed journal that publishes papers advancing and critiquing the study of issues affecting or involving islands. It is listed and abstracted in Scopus and Web of Science (Social Science Citation Index).

For further information or if you are interested in submitting a paper, contact: John N. Telesford at j.n.telesford@rgu.ac.uk and john.telesford@yahoo.com. Manuscripts should be between 5,000 and 10,000 words, must be written in excellent English, and must be prepared in accordance with the ISJ submission guidelines: https://www.islandstudies.ca/guidelines_instructions.html

Interested authors are asked to submit abstracts of 150-200 words by 30 June 2020. If accepted, initial drafts of full papers will be expected by 31 December 2020. The deadline for final submission is 31 May 2021. All papers will be subject to peer review. Abstracts and papers should be e-mailed to the guest editor, using ‘Special Section on islands and the SDGs’ in the subject of the e-mail.

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Creating Inclusive Economies
Rimouski, Qebec
October 1-3, 2020
CALL FOR ABSTRACTS

The Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation (CEDEC) and the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation are pleased to announce a call for submissions for the 2020 conference Creating Inclusive Economies: Building Bridges between Public-Private-Civil Society Sectors, to take place October 1-3, 2020, in Rimouski, Quebec.
 
Across the country, communities are engaged in innovative policy development with the goal of enhancing the economic and social wellbeing of rural citizens. However, issues related to sustainability and the environment, rural-urban interdependencies, access to information, and the instability of both global and local markets are changing the way we think about rural development. As a result, the public, private, and civil society sectors are developing new and innovative ways to collaborate and enhance economic activity in rural communities.

Submissions are welcome from a variety of stakeholders including community or non-governmental organizations; the private sector; academics; local, regional, provincial, territorial, or federal governments; Indigenous governments or organizations, and other policymakers. Submissions are invited pertaining to a broad range of topics associated with rural development. These may include, but are not limited to:

- Rural/urban interdependencies - Workforce and demographics - Environment or Climate Change - Sustainability - Exploitation of resources - Governance - Indigenous peoples and Nations - Tourism - Knowledge mobilization, sharing, or management - Language and culture - Social policy - Cooperatives and social enterprise - Economic development and innovation - Partnerships - Health and wellbeing - Self-determination and community empowerment - Policy analysis, development, or implementation - Mobilities

Submissions should be no more than 200 words and submitted in French or English (please submit in the intended language of delivery). Submissions should include a title as well as a list of presenters with their affiliations and contact information. Each submission should clearly indicate the format of the presentation requested (i.e., poster or oral presentation, panel, or capacity building session). We are interested in receiving a variety of submissions pertaining to community organizations, economic activity, policy innovations, and academic research.

The formats for submissions are as follows:
- Poster presentation
- 20-minute oral presentation
- 60-minute panel session
- 60-minute capacity building session

Participants wishing to submit a panel or capacity-building session should include the names of all panelists/participants in their submission. Panels will not be granted to groups of less than three participants identified at the time of submission. Capacity-building sessions should clearly identify the objectives of the session and who the session would be tailored for.

Note: At least one presenter per submission will need to be registered by the registration deadline in order to be included in the program.

Submissions should be made through the online submission form by May 1st, 2020. Responses will be provided shortly thereafter.
 
For more information, check out the conference website or e-mail inclusiveeconomies@cecec.ca

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Smart Islands Project
supports youth in Scottish and Irish Islands

You may be familiar with the Islands Revival blog and subsequent Declaration which have been reported on in past editions of Island Studies News. These came about because researchers in Scotland were among the first to recognise and record the return to islands of a younger economically active demographic across Uist in the Outer Hebrides: from Berneray in the north, North Uist, Grimsay, Benbecula, South Uist and Eriskay.

Theona Morrison, Director of Scottish Rural Action, and colleagues were set to present their work at the ISISA conference in St. John's, NL, in June. Since the conference has been postponed, I thought I'd ask Theona to send us an update anyway, since there are many resonances with the kinds of work being done on repopulating islands around the globe.

Here it is.

"We are working on the LEADER funded Smart Islands project supporting young people in Scottish and Irish Islands. This was launched in October of last year when CoDel (Community Development Lens) hosted a gathering of Scottish and Irish islanders representing 20 Scottish and Irish islands, in Grimsay, Uist, over a week of sessions which included Maritime assets, cultural economy, renewable energy, tourism, land use, education linked to the local economy, and more.

"Many of these session were led by the young people who are working in the sectors, running businesses and organisations and contributing significantly to island life. During the week, the Scottish Islands Plan was laid before Parliament, to that end the whole of the Scottish Government Islands Team attended in Grimsay and were able to see and hear for themselves how the young people are taking such a lead in the community. During that same week the Irish islanders  were able to contribute and share from their experience, following which an outdoor children's nursery was established in Sherkin Island inspired by the presentation by Uist Wild Outdoor Things in Grimsay.

Irish participants work on local resource flows chart

"Four people from CoDel and the chair of the Scottish islands Federation travelled to Galway and spent a week with 13 Irish islanders, working through aspirations for their islands of Tory Island, Arranmore, Inis Meain, Inis Mor, Inis Oirr, Inisbofin, Bere Island Inshturk, Cape Clare and Sherkin Island. They considered the economic, social, cultural (Gaelic culture is core to island life in Uist as it is in many of the Irish islands - same root) and environmental resource inflows and outflows and learned and honed coaching to enable them to support their fellow islanders.

"Two weeks ago we worked on Inis Meain, Inish Mor and Inishbofin, just before Ireland closed its islands to all but health professionals etc. We worked with groups and individuals. The aspirations and outcomes have still to be written up, but we saw—perhaps in smaller numbers compared to Scotland yet—that there is a younger demographic beginning to return. We met with some of them while we were in the islands and as always were inspired by their lens and vision to see the opportunities in islands."

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Atlas Oscura presents
libraries that preserve the history of
small islands

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/local-history-of-islands

No matter how small a community or how isolated it is, most have an archive of local history. It might be in the form of public records, or a collection of photographs, or shelves of old books. On islands, these archives are particularly important. Islands are surprisingly indefinable, occasionally mobile, and, in some cases, can spontaneously grow in size. Island life is similarly diverse and unusual, and these archives help preserve their unique cultures.

And some of these islands and their cultures are under threat. Natural disasters, such as hurricanes and volcanoes, can make an isolated island uninhabitable. Man-made disasters, like rising sea levels caused by climate change, can make an island disappear. In these situations, the work of librarians and archivists to safeguard and, where possible, digitize materials, is even more important.

Atlas Obscura spoke to island archives and libraries from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean to learn about their special collections. Read more about some of these archives in the Aland Islands, Cook Islands, Orkney Islands, and more.

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A sneak peek at Home Is Where the Water Is
by Hung-Min Chiang

Island Studies Press is excited to announce the publication of Home Is Where the Water Is. The books have just arrived from the printer. While the official launch has been postponed, we're working on ways to get these books to you in the meantime. This memoir would be an excellent companion right now. Stay tuned!

Born and raised in tumultuous times in East Asia, Hung-Min Chiang survived earthquakes, wars, foreign occupation, dictatorship, and illness before making his way to Prince Edward Island. While navigating his perilous journey, Chiang learned and practiced “The Way of Water,” Daoist lessons for living drawn from Nature. Home Is Where the Water Is examines the many critical turning points in a life and how these shaped the person he became.

Throughout his memoir, Chiang reflects on the lessons of his mentor, American psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) and his ancestor Chiang Taigong (1128–1015 BC), a wacky old fisherman whose outlandish techniques caught the attention of a king. His fascination with these enigmatic figures led to a lifetime of questions and a rewarding career in psychology. Home Is Where the Water Is reveals how Dr. Chiang overcame adversity to find both his calling and happiness in North America with his wife Mei-chih and their three daughters.

Hung-Min Chiang received his PhD from Brandeis University, where he studied and worked with renowned psychologist Abraham H. Maslow. Together they co-edited The Healthy Personality: Readings. Dr. Chiang is also the award-winning author of Chinese Islanders: Making a Home in the New World. Dr. Chiang taught Psychology at the University of Prince Edward Island for many years. A humanist at heart, he is remembered fondly by his students as a dedicated, highly original, and inspiring professor with a self-deprecating sense of humour.

Dr. Hung-Min Chiang
(Author photo courtesy of HK, APEI Photography)

 

University of Prince Edward Island
SSHRC Exchange Publication Awards
(formerly the UPEI Internal Publication Awards)
Spring 2020 Call for Applications

The Vice-President Academic and Research will make available up to two awards to support the publication of manuscripts, written or edited by UPEI faculty, by Island Studies Press. These awards are being funded by a SSHRC Institutional Grant, therefore, the subject matter of the publication must be compatible with SSHRC’s mandate (see http://science.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_FEE7261A.html for more information).  The awards of $5,000 each will be disbursed to Island Studies Press to cover publication costs (including editing, photo and other permissions, design, printing, marketing, and other costs associated with publishing a book). Authors will be offered ISP’s standard publication contract, which ensures authorial copyright and includes a royalty structure. Authors will also see their manuscripts reviewed through a peer-review process where appropriate.
 
ELIGIBILITY: Manuscripts that are written and/or edited by UPEI faculty (including contract and sessional faculty) are eligible.  These may be single- or multi-authored results of academic research projects; textbooks; edited proceedings of a conference; or works of fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, or drama that pertain to the author(s)' discipline. The subject matter of the manuscript must meet SSHRC’s mandate.
 
APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 30, 2020, to Research Services, Kelley Building Room 200 or electronically to researchservices@upei.ca. Depending on the availability of funding, a second call may take place in Fall 2020. For complete terms of reference and application process, please see https://www.upei.ca/research-services/resources-and-tools/internal-funding
 
Previous recipients of the UPEI Internal Publication Awards are Malcolm Murray, Department of Philosophy; Colleen MacQuarrie, Department of Psychology; Jim Randall, Island Studies; and Michelle Evason, Department of Companion Animals, AVC.

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Insular knowledge: Building a community of islands through knowledge mobilization

In January, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO put out a call to Canada's network of 27 UNESCO Chairs to contribute to a series of thought papers on Knowledge Mobilization (KMb). Jim submitted a Letter of Intent to look at KMb specifically as it relates to islands, and we were one of six submissions selected. Working to a tight deadline, we carried out focus groups in the Atlantic region, the central Great Lakes region, and Canada's west coast asking questions about the ways and means island groups and organizations get research results and other information out to the general public. We wanted to find out if KMb on islands is different on islands. We found that, yes, it is, and came up with some recommendations to address the gaps. We found that, yes, it is, and came up with some recommendations to address the gaps.

The project is still ongoing: it has gone to peer review and we are awaiting feedback which we will address in the next draft. As soon as it's ready, we will be coming back to you, our readers, asking for your input as to how it might be revised and improved. This process embodies the spirit of knowledge mobilization, with the potential of over 1,600 reviewers—another novel way of mobilizing knowledge! The final report is due May 30, 2020. In the meantime, here's the Abstract. A huge thank you goes out to those islanders who were part of the process.

Abstract
Insular knowledge: Building a community of islands through knowledge mobilization

The premise of this paper is that islands are an integral part of Canadian geography, history and identity, and that knowledge mobilization (KMb) on islands is too often overlooked or misunderstood. The paper provides an overview of the kinds, characteristics, flows and challenges associated with knowledge creation and dissemination on islands in and close to Canada. In so doing, it offers insights intended to spark a dialogue on how knowledge mobilization on islands assists us in addressing the major challenges facing our islands and society in general. Findings suggest that much knowledge on and about islands is informal and undervalued, but critical to maintaining viable island communities. This informal, situational knowledge is often combined with formal, theoretical knowledge to build resilience in ways that may be applied more broadly across different contexts. The paper recommends that more effort must take place to expand and strengthen island networks to share resources and stories, and that policies and programs need to be filtered through an island lens before being adopted in island communities.
 

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This just in!

"An Icy Layer of Isolation: Prince Edward Island's Sea-bound Particularity" is part of a special issue on "Islands and Ice" just published in Shima Journal. Co-authored by Hans Connor, former MAIS student; Dr. Laurie Brinklow (your trusty editor!), and Dr. Adam Fenech (Director of the UPEI Climate Lab), the paper originated in one of Hans's classes in the MAIS program.

Here's the abstract: "The types and degrees of insularity experienced in islands provide considerable material for academics. In the case of Prince Edward Island (PEI), being an Island combined with the isolation caused by sea ice covering the waters around PEI, has impacted Islanders’ sense of relative insularity. Even after the construction of a fixed link to the mainland, Islanders continue to relish in a sense of distinctiveness linked to their Island condition. Since European settlement, PEI’s sea ice barrier has periodically cut off channels of communication and transportation resulting in many societal effects. As ocean temperatures rise due to Climate Change, ice conditions are changing, bringing with them increased coastal erosion and other effects. This article investigates PEI’s relationship with its frozen sea-bound particularity. Drawing upon the Island’s history, culture, and climate data, as well as from the field of Island Studies, the article asks the question: how has this ‘icy layer of isolation’ affected Islanders’ sense of place over time? And what are the potential implications of the effects of Climate Change for PEI?"

You can find the full paper on Shima's website. Thanks to Shima Executive Editor Phil Hayward and his review team for their editorial savvy, and to Dr. Johannes Riquet (Tampere University, Finland) who led the charge on this special issue. And congratulations, co-authors!

 

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"your L. M. Montgomery story"

Are you a fan of L.M. Montgomery’s world? Whether it’s the irrepressible Anne, the writerly Emily, the gorgeous landscapes within The Blue Castle and The Story Girl, one of the many stage or screen adaptations of Montgomery's work, or something else entirely, we want to hear from you! Please help current and future scholars study the international appeal of L.M. Montgomery and her world by answering a few questions about yourself and your love of LMM’s world. You can even share the “origin story” of how you discovered the world of L.M. Montgomery in the first place! 

Go here (yourlmmstory.com) for more information and here (https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LMMFans) to share your story (age over-18 only, though parents/guardians can share a LMM story with or on behalf of their children). Thank you!
 
Project Coordinators:
Trinna S. Frever 
trinnafrever.com / @trinna_writes
Kate Scarth
katescarth.com / @katescarth

 

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Master of Arts in Island Studies Program

• Enhancing Rural Labour Markets in an Era of Rural Population Challenges
• The Development of Prince Edward Island as an All-Seasons Tourism Destination: Lessons from other Cold Water Small Islands
• An Analysis of Entrepreneurship on Prince Edward Island: A Case Study of [insert a sector here]
• PEI as a Living Lab for Renewable Energy: The Preconditions for a Sustainable Future
• A Longitudinal Analysis of Newcomer Entrepreneurs on Prince Edward Island
• Stories of Island Repatriation: A Qualitative Analysis of Islanders Who “Lived Away”

https://www.upei.ca/programs/island-studies
Contact jarandall@upei.ca