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NEWS FROM THE UNESCO CHAIR
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 Randall 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 than KMb on mainlands. We found that, yes, it is, and came up with some recommendations to address the gaps.
The paper underwent a rigorous peer review process, with input from over 50 individuals from Canada and around the globe, and the project is now complete. The process embodies the spirit of knowledge mobilization. A huge thank you goes out to those islanders who contributed to the paper.
A PDF of the paper is available for download here.
For more information, visit the Institute of Island Studies and UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability websites.
ABSTRACT
Insular knowledge: Building a community of islands through knowledge mobilization
James Randall, Laurie Brinklow, and Marlene Chapman
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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News from the Master of Arts in Island Studies Program
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Awards
"Future Prosperity for PEI" Scholarships
The Future Prosperity for PEI Scholarships, funded by Regis and Joan Duffy along with the Province of Prince Edward Island, are open to incoming students in the MAIS thesis program and are worth $12,500/year x 2 yrs. Students who are awarded one of these scholarships must agree to write their thesis generally on one of six predetermined topics relating to the future prosperity of PEI.
This year's recipients of Future Prosperity for PEI Scholarships are:
- Alyssa Gillespie, whose thesis will focus on rural youth retention on Prince Edward Island;
- Greg Ellison, who will be looking at the role of climate change on small islands and microeconomic development policy; and
- Eliza MacLauchlan, whose work will analyze housing policies on Prince Edward Island and other small islands.
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Reverend Vincent Murnaghan Memorial Scholarship
MAIS student Galina Liou has been awarded the Reverend Vincent Murnaghan Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship was established by the Cooper Institute in conjunction with the University of Prince Edward Island, and is offered annually to a qualified refugee or foreign student displaying commitment to working for social justice and to improving the living conditions in the community and on the planet, and academic achievement or evidence of academic potential.
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Congratulations to all of our scholarship recipients, and a special and heartfelt thank you to all of our donors. We couldn't do it without you!
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New Online Student Journal: Sails & Tales
The students of IST 6140: Islandness: Change, Culture and Identity invite you to check out a new online student journal entitled Sails & Tales, featuring work from their Master of Arts in Island Studies class at UPEI. They are pleased to bring you a selection of writing and images that will transport you on a journey to the world’s islands, starting off at home port, here on Prince Edward Island.
Happy sailing!
http://projects.upei.ca/mais/sails-tales/
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Publications from our students
Congratulations to Marlene Chapman, who was third co-author on Insular knowledge: Building a community of islands through knowledge mobilization, along with Dr. Jim Randall and Dr. Laurie Brinklow. As highlighted in the earlier UNESCO Chair section, this paper examined Knowledge Mobilization (KMb) specifically as it relates to islands and provides some recommendations to address the gaps identified in the study. For more information, visit the UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability page. The paper is available for download here.
Congratulations also to Patrick Lévêque and Maggie Whitten Henry on the publication of their papers in two peer-reviewed journals!
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Patrick’s paper, Personalistic politics on Prince Edward Island: Towards a subnational approach to personalism and democracy, appears in the latest issue of Small States & Territories in a special section devoted to Comparing Small Island Developing States and Subnational Island Jurisdictions edited by Jim Randall and Arno Boersma. This section comprises six papers from the 1st International Conference on Small Island States (SIS) and Subnational Island Jurisdictions (SNIJs), Island States/Island Territories: Sharing Stories of Island Life, Governance and Global Engagement, which was held in Aruba in March 2019.
In his paper, Patrick engages with the scholarly discourse on the effects of size on democracy by exploring the applicability of small state personalism theory to subnational jurisdictions. Using Prince Edward Island, Canada’s smallest province, as a case study, this research attempts to determine whether personalism is strictly a feature of small states and whether it might also apply to small polities more generally. The study, which relies on secondary literature and some primary sources, shows that personalism works well to describe politics in the province. Implications of these findings are reviewed, including the effect of subnationality on personalism, the potential of personalism theory for other subnational jurisdictions, and a brief exploration of the potential effect of the stage of development and maturity of political institutions. The paper concludes with a brief consideration of possible future research directions.
Lévêque, P. (2009). Personalistic politics on Prince Edward Island: Towards a subnational approach to personalism and democracy. Small States & Territories, 3(1),153-172.
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Maggie's paper, Tasting place: Themes in food and beverage product logos from three North Atlantic island regions, appears in the latest issue of the Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism. Maggie's research primarily focuses on the multifaceted relationship between sense of place and community-based entrepreneurship, particularly in island and rural communities, and her thesis examines these relationships in the context of the craft beer community on the island of Newfoundland. A semester of self-directed graduate coursework under the supervision of Dr Susan Graham (Faculty of Business, UPEI) offered Maggie the opportunity to take a closer look at the branding of a variety of island-based products from some of her favourite island regions. This paper is the result!
Using a sample of 24 food and beverage product logos from Newfoundland, Iceland, and Shetland, the study examines the relationship between destination brands and local food/beverage brands in three North Atlantic island regions. Analysis of the logos found that the island-based food and beverage producers in question demonstrated an intense and dynamic connection to place, which was exemplified by the themes of place, culture, and environment embedded in their logos. The discussion highlights the importance of an effective brand for local entrepreneurship success in island and rural contexts, particularly one which aligns with stakeholders’ perception of place.
Whitten Henry, M. J. (2020). Tasting place: Themes in food and beverage product logos from three North Atlantic island regions. Journal of Gastronomy and Tourism, 4(3), 157-173.
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The Back 50 Project: Mapping Rural Land Use Change in Prince Edward Island
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Researchers at the University of Prince Edward Island are currently looking for volunteers to participate in "The Back 50 Project," an interactive mapping exercise about rural land use change on PEI over the past 50 years. We are interested in how those knowledgeable about rural PEI, agriculture, and the environment value land that is important to them and how they have seen this land change over time.
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If you’re interested in the history, land use, and environment of rural PEI and you know about a parcel in particular, please consider sharing your knowledge in our online mapping survey. The mapping exercise is available online through the following link: www.upei.ca/back50
Participants will be asked to answer basic demographic questions, and then they will map out land of importance to them. They will be asked to describe how land use changed on this land by comparing a current map with a map from 1968. Then, they will be asked to describe why they think land use changed and whether they observed any effects of these changes. The mapping exercise may take anywhere between one hour and four hours, depending on how many places the participant would like to map, and how many detailed stories the participant would like to share about the land.
Participants in the mapping exercise will also be asked whether they would like to be contacted for a short follow-up phone call. Participants who consent to this phone call will only be contacted if the researchers would like to clarify some of their responses.
The survey will remain open until December 1, 2020. If you are interested in participating, you may follow the link provided above. Also, please feel free to contact the primary researcher, Dr. MacFadyen, to discuss any questions or concerns you may have, by email at jdmacfadyen@upei.ca or by phone at 902-620-5142.
Thank you for your interest in mapping the "back 50" and the last half century on PEI!
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DiverseCity 2020
DiverseCity is an annual multicultural street festival organized by the PEI Association for Newcomers to Canada in collaboration with government and municipal funders, sponsors, volunteers, and community partners. The Festival celebrates the diversity of cultures living on the Island and showcases food, music performance, dance, arts, and crafts that represent more recent immigrant cultures, as well as the First Nations, and the established descendants of earlier immigration (Acadian, English, Irish, and Scottish).
This year, due to COVID-19, DiverseCity@Home will be broadcast on Eastlink Community TV and streamed online on Saturday June 27, starting at 7pm ADT. The silver lining of this is that people from all around the world can take part! Keep an eye on the DiverseCity Facebook page for performance lineup and food vendor announcements.
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One Ocean Hub UN World Oceans Day Events
June 9-12, 2020
June 8 is World Oceans Day, the United Nations day for celebrating the role of the oceans in our everyday life and inspiring action to protect the ocean and sustainably use marine resources.
From June 9-12, One Ocean Hub will be hosting a number of virtual events in honour of UN World Oceans Day. Covering topics including (but not limited to!) policy, art, traditional knowledge, economics, education, and law, there really is something for everyone!
Learn more and register for sessions here: https://oneoceanhub.org/un-world-oceans-day
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UPCOMING CONFERENCES & WEBINARS
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ISISA: 1st Island Studies Global Webinar
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
CALL FOR SPEAKERS
We regret that our international conference scheduled for St John's, Newfoundland, Canada, this June has had to be postponed to June 14-18, 2021.
In the meantime, the past weeks of full or partial lockdown for many of us have taught us a few things. These include the power and convenience of suitable platforms for on-line meeting, teaching and learning.
Wednesday, June 24, 2020 would have been the mid-point of our ISISA Conference, hosted by Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN), Canada.
ISISA will hold its 1st Island Studies Global Webinar on that day.
We have calculated an available time window of 32 hours: Starting at 9am in New Zealand/Suva on Wednesday morning June 24; and concluding at 7pm in Rarotonga on Wednesday evening, June 24.
That makes it possible to have 64 speakers, each with a 30 min slot - to present and receive/answer questions and comments.
Join us on this day to celebrate the study of 'our world of islands'.
Send an email to ISISA President Godfrey Baldacchino at godfrey.baldacchino@um.edu.mt to discuss your topic and book your slot.
The event is free. If you are unable to present, note the date in your diary, and then listen in and participate on the date.
Any updates will also be posted on www.isisa.org
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Island Feminisms Conference: UPDATE
(POSTPONED)
Aloha Potential Conference Participants,
In response to our campus requirements, the uncertain state of things, and most of all our collective well-being, we have decided to postpone the inauguration of the Island Feminisms Conference for one year. We truly appreciate all the wonderful proposals including your rich arenas of research, queer and feminist perspectives, and ties to art and activism.
To entice you in participating next year, and to honor the efforts of your proposals, we took a moment to draft a 'potential' program. We hope that this 2020 proposed program gets you planning to attend and participate next year.
With the swirl of activism in the air and potential for progressive change, we plan for the Island Feminisms Conference to eventually convene in Puerto Rico in 2023 and the University of Aegean, Lesvos, Greece in 2025. We may also decide to develop a proposal for an edited volume based on all the wonderful submissions and will forward you a call for papers if we do so.
mahalo,
the island feminisms (if) project
https://www.islandfeminisms.org/
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The Virtual Island Summit 2020
September 6-11, 2020
The Virtual Island Summit is a free and entirely online event designed to connect global islands to share their common experiences through a digital platform. Join islanders from around the world to share ideas, good practices and solutions. PLUS, as a virtual event, the conference will be zero carbon!
Can’t make the live event dates? No worries! Register for the event, and we’ll send you the replay link after the event. If you can attend live, you will be given the opportunity to ask questions to speakers and interact with other guests.
The full program will be announced later in June.
Registration is FREE, but spaces are limited, so reserve your spot now: https://www.islandinnovation.co/summit/#register-now
For more information, visit the Virtual Island Summit website.
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Islanders have a long history of finding creative ways to connect, and digital platforms have proven to be especially valuable during this time of transition. As a result, the collection of COVID-19 related resources has been growing at a rapid pace!
Below you will find a collection of some key reports, webinars, and podcasts that discuss the impacts of COVID-19 in island and rural contexts.
If there is anything that we may have missed, please let us know!
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'Island Responses to COVID-19' - Update
Since our last newsletter, the “Island responses to COVID-19” survey has sparked interest from around the globe. Dr. Francesco Sindico of the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Governance and James Ellsmoor from Island Innovation have collected data from over 50 islands. The survey is now closed, and it is time to start thinking of how to move ahead. A document summarising all of the data collected is available to download here.
Visit the Islands and COVID-19 page for more information about the project. There you can also find links to the interest the survey has raised in UK and international media, links to some podcasts where Dr. Sindico discussed the preliminary findings of the survey, and links to past webinars organised by Island Innovation and others organised by the UN Local 2030 Islands Hub.
They’ve also put together a Policy brief with preliminary findings from the survey. "Policy Brief: A Global Island Perspective On COVID-19" can be found here.
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Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation launches ‘Rural Insights' series in response to COVID-19
The Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation (CRRF) has launched a new “Rural Insights” series in response to the unique impacts of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for rural Canada. This series is a response to concerns raised by rural Canadians in a survey issued by CRRF in April, and will focus on key issues impacting rural communities as they face the challenges of managing the pandemic and look to future recovery.
CRRF will be publishing reports through the Rural Insights Series: COVID-19 on a rolling basis throughout 2020. Two reports have been released so far:
Please visit www.crrf.ca regularly to access updates to the Rural Insights Series: COVID-19 as they are published, as well as updates to emerging research and additional resources on current issues in rural development.
For more information, please contact:
Dr. Sarah Minnes, CRRF President
sminnes@uoguelph.ca
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UPCOMING WEBINARS
Local2030 Islands Network Virtual Convening:
Strengthening Island Resilience
Discussion examining responses to crises and risk reduction
Thursday, June 11, 2020 / 20.00 UTC
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_J9L88aG8Tq-Z31JqaG-m_A
Island economies, particularly Small Island Developing States, are vulnerable to climate related severe weather events, sea level rise, catastrophic natural disasters and other external shocks. While many islands are successfully managing new public health risks presented by COVID19, they face economic disaster as a result of tourism disruption, and related loss of livelihoods and government revenue. The COVID pandemic has exacerbated other issues islands are grappling with including cyclones, which recently hit Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific with hurricane season fast approaching the Caribbean. As the international community is considering how to recover from the current crisis, and reflect on previous catastrophes, islands can provide key examples of building resilience and reducing risk. They are taking bold and innovative approaches around new mechanisms, including finance and insurance, policy tools among other initiatives.
Speakers will explore islands that have committed to supporting community resilience and “building back better”. The panel will discuss how the island experience can teach us for how we approach our new normal.
Panelists:
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Kathy Mcleod, Director, Adrienne Arsht - Rockefeller Foundation Resilience Center, Atlantic Council
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Dr. Pepukaye Bardouille, Chief Executive Officer, Climate Resilience Execution Agency for Dominica (CREAD)
For more information, visit the Local2030 Islands Network Virtual Platform page, or email info@islands2030.org
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WEBINAR RECORDINGS
Missed a webinar? Not to worry! Here you can find links to recordings of many recent webinars, as well as summaries and additional resources and downloadable documents.
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‘Islands and the COVID-19 Pandemic’
Discussion with expert speakers from Scotland, the Maldives, Greenland, Anguilla & Lanzarote (Canary Islands).
‘The Economic Future of the Caribbean: Life After COVID-19’
Discussion with expert speakers from Barbados, St Lucia, St Maarten, Aruba & The Cayman Islands.
‘The Economic future of Jamaica: Life after COVID-19’
Discussion with representatives from various angles of the Jamaican economy: government, finance, private sector & media
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'Island Platform on COVID-19 Response'
As a result of COVID-19, the Local2030 Islands Network has launched a virtual platform for islands to communicate challenges and draw strength from shared solutions, as part of the network's mission to connect and strengthen island leadership on sustainable development and resilience.
'COVID-19 and Tourism' - How are islands facing the COVID-19 related tourism crisis and their ideas on building back better?
'Island Food Security' - Strengthening island food security to address impacts of COVID-19 and for long term sustainability, discussion with representatives from Papua New Guinea, Cook Islands, Hawaiʻi, and other islands.
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Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) Islands Webinar Series
In this webinar Francesco Sindico and James Ellsmoor discussed how islands around the world have been dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, exploring the ongoing challenges from public health, economic, and sustainability perspectives and sparking debate that goes beyond the initial stage of the pandemic and takes the participants on a journey that allows us to start thinking of what islands and island communities could look like Post COVID-19.
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"In these times of global pandemic, islanders and islands have things to teach us." - Bojan Fürst, OTOK Podcast
Podcasts, lately more than ever, have been a fantastic way to engage in thought-provoking and informative conversation and dive deep into aspects of the COVID-19 experience, all while maintaining a safe and comfortable distance! Below you will find some of the latest island- and rural-related podcast episodes that have been on our radar.
What have you been listening to lately? Please let us know if there is anything that we should add to our list!
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OTOK Podcast
The OTOK team have been busy since we introduced their new podcast in our April newsletter!
Here are links to the latest episodes:
To keep up to date on OTOK episodes, keep an eye on the website (https://www.patchedheart.ca/otok) or subscribe wherever you find your podcasts.
If you have an idea for a podcast or know a community radio station that might like to air any of the episodes, please contact Bojan Fürst at bfurst@mun.ca
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Rural Routes S3E11
Rural and island responses to COVID-19
Geography matters. And when it comes to pandemics such as this COVID-19 one that we find ourselves in the middle of, how we respond to pandemics is very much influenced by geography. That curiosity about geographically distinct responses to COVID-19 pandemic is very much behind two research projects are discussed in this episode: Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation's Rural Insight Series: COVID-19, and the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow's Island Responses to COVID-19.
Guests in order of appearance:
Dr. Sarah Minnes (President of the CRRF; Conservation of Change Lab at the University of Guelph)
Dr. Sean Markey (professor and certified planner with the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver)
Ashleigh Weeden (PhD candidate in the School of Environmental Design & Rural Development at the University of Guelph)
Dr. Francesco Sindico (Co-Director of the Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow)
Listen at http://ruralroutespodcasts.com/?p=2274 or wherever you find your podcasts.
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CALLS FOR PAPERS & SUBMISSIONS
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CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA) Newsletter
Submissions for July Newsletter due June 20, 2020
Remember that without your contributions, there will be no newsletter. An interesting topic for the newsletter would be how COVID-19 affected your island and how you and the community have coped.
Please send submissions to Anna Baldacchino at abaldacchino59@gmail.com
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CALL FOR PAPERS
Coolabah Special Issue:
Mythical and Fictional Islands
Special Issue Editor: Dr. Sarah MacKinnon
Submission Deadline for Papers: September 15, 2020
Islands are enduringly irresistible; they entice, ensnare, imprison, inspire, relax, and revitalize to the point that some people are said to suffer from ‘islomania’ - an obsession with islands. Islomania can manifest itself as a physical draw to be islanded in space, separate from the influence of the frenetic humdrum of continental life, or as a psycho-emotional draw to construct or consume ‘islandness’; the essence of geographical precision, comprehensible scale and boundedness by water. Islands are said to occupy "such a powerful place in modern Western imagination that they lend themselves to sophisticated fantasy and mythology." This is not only true of real, physical islands but also the imagined and mythical islands that appear in folklore, popular media, cartography and mythscapes of real islands.
This special issue is interested in papers within the following topics:
- Mythical islands in folklore
- Representations of imagined or mythical islands in media and cartography
- Futuristic imagined islands
- Representations of ‘islandness’ in mythology
- Islands in science fiction
More information is available here.
Authors are encouraged to reach out to the editor with an abstract prior to submission. Contact Dr Sarah MacKinnon at sarahk@siar.fm
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OPEN CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
Okinawan Journal of Island Studies (OJIS)
Submissions for Volume 2
Deadline: August 10.
OJIS is the official journal of the Research Institute for Islands and Sustainability (RIIS) at the University of the Ryukyus, Japan.
OJIS Submission guidelines can be found here.
Click here for OJIS Volume 1 (March 2020).
If you have any further questions regarding submission details or manuscript style, please contact the OJIS office at riis＠riis.skr.u-ryukyu.ac.jp.
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Ongoing calls for papers highlighted in previous newsletters:
Onwards to island sustainability futures: An exploration of the SDGs on islands: Special section of Island Studies Journal, May 2022.
Abstracts due June 30, 2020.
For more information: https://islandstudies.ca/sites/default/files/ISJ-CFP-IslandsSDG.pdf
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UK-Canada Globalink Doctoral Exchange Scheme
A new and exciting opportunity for UKRI and Canadian doctoral students to participate in a UK-Canada research exchange scheme. Supported by UKRI and Mitacs, up to 200 UK doctoral candidates will have the opportunity to develop into global citizens, with international competencies, during 12-week research placements in Canadian universities; a similar number of Canadian students will visit UK universities.
UKRI has partnered with Mitacs, a national, not-for-profit organization that has designed and delivered research and training programs in Canada for 20 years, to deliver the £2.5 million programme.
It supports the UK Government’s target of 2.4% GDP spend in R&D by 2027, helping the UK make the most of its world-class research, supporting its researchers to stay at the cutting edge, forge international collaborations, and encourage global talent to work in the UK.
Now open for the second call for applications from UKRI funded doctoral students until 9 June 2020, the UK-Canada Globalink Doctoral Exchange Scheme will support travel, living and research costs for the students in their chosen field of study. Following a competitive application process, the first exchanges will take place from October 2020.
As a collaborative scheme between the UK and Canada, an equal number of Canadian doctoral students will have the opportunity to undertake research placements at UK universities. The application process for Canadian students applying to undertake placements in the UK is coordinated by Mitacs.
For more information:
Mitacs website: https://www.mitacs.ca/en/programs/globalink/globalink-research-award-canada
UKRI website: https://www.ukri.org/research/international/international-funding-opportunities/uk-canada-globalink-doctoral-exchange-scheme/
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Master of Arts in Island Studies Program
We are accepting applications for our long-running Master of Arts in Island Studies Program, an interdisciplinary program that accepts students from all disciplinary backgrounds. All we ask is that you have a passion for islands. Thesis stream students may adopt a comparative approach to study islands or explore a topic or issue that is crucial to one island. Either way, the program will prepare students with the practical research skills and knowledge they need to succeed in a world increasingly defined by interconnections and interactions among peoples and regions.
New stream this year
The MAIS program has a new offering for the 2020-21 academic year in the course/work-study program. In addition to Island Tourism and Sustainable Island Communities, we will offer International Relations and Island Public Policy. This is in addition to the long-running thesis program.
"Future Prosperity for PEI" scholarships
These scholarships are open to incoming students in the thesis program and are worth $12,500/year x 2 yrs. Students who are awarded one of these scholarships must agree to write their thesis generally on one of the following topics:
- 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”
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