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Volume 5 Number 2 December 2005Published by the Small Islands Studies Association
General NewsSub-National Island Jurisdictions and Sustainable DevelopmentCommonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) We propose a new perspective to the Commonwealth which can harbour very interesting and innovative approaches to sustainable development. The overall theme for this year's CHOGM is 'Networking the Commonwealth for Development'. Within the framework of this theme, three key sub-themes - the Millennium Development Goals, Sustainable Development and Economic Justice - have been chosen to reflect the diverse challenges confronting commonwealth countries. Moreover, pre-CPF presentations by CSOs under the four broad themes of Africa, Small Island Development States , Millennium Development Goals and Information and Communication Technology have been well received. We realise that the Commonwealth has a long standing interest in the study of small states ; it has also supported the UN-driven initiative to look at small island developing states (SIDS) as a conceptual and analytic category, with its own clutch of challenges, and thus worthy of specific focus. We wish to take this discussion forward to the next level, by proposing a new category of territories which deserve recognition and whose policy engagements suggest creative departures from conventional governance practices. We are referring to sub-national (that is non-sovereign) island jurisdictions (SNIJs). Their dealings within the fuzzy ground between sovereignty and dependency is worth looking at more closely - more so at a time when the world must increasingly coming to grips, and to terms, with multi-level governance. Our workshop - at the Chamber of Commerce, Valletta , Malta and spread out over Tuesday & Wednesday, (22nd & 23rd November) - will look critically at such SNIJs and the lessons that they offer towards sustainable development. It is also very apt to hold this event in Malta - not only because Malta is itself a successful small sovereign state; but also because Gozo - its sister island, where CHOGM itself will convene on Friday - has characteristics of a sub-national island jurisdiction. Attending this workshop in Malta is a clutch of academics - mainly geographers, economists and political scientists - of international repute: We can confirm Dr Harvey Armstrong (University of Sheffield, UK); Ms RoseMarie Azzopardi; Dr David Milne & Dr Edward Warrington (University of Malta, Malta); Dr Barry Bartmann (University of Prince Edward Island, Canada); Dr Agneta Karlsson & Dr Bjarne Lindstrom (Aland Statistical Office, Aland Islands); Dr Robert Read (University of Lancaster, UK); Dr Timothy Shaw (Institute for Commonwealth Studies, University of London, UK); and Dr Elaine Stratford (University of Tasmania, Tasmania, Australia). The workshop is kindly supported by the Nordic Council for Regional Research (NordRegio); the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC); the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICS) and the respective universities of the participants. Our main objective - as far as the CPF is concerned - is to invite the Commonwealth to recognise SNIJs as a new category of candidates that deserves being recognised as such, and from whose recognition many vital lessons in shared rule could be gleaned. The benefits of such an analysis can extend far and wide to many other jurisdictions. Just as the Commonwealth has taken a crucial leadership role in advancing the category, and study, of small states; and lent its support in advancing that of SIDS, the same could - one hopes - be done with SNIJs.
How Do We Empower Island Communities?
Over the next four years the University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Department of Education plan to invite involvement from local and global communities to participate in a program called Webbing the Islands Webbing the Islands will be an international Internet-based educational program of projects that use collaborations in areas of visual and performing arts, literature and science to explore the questions facing islands and island peoples. The program will be facilitated through its namesake website, Webbingtheislands.com. The website will function as a "how to" resource, document storage/gallery area, and moderated communication space. How did Webbing the Islands come about? Originally Webbing the Islands was presented as part of Tasmania 's International Arts Festival, Ten Days on the Island in May 2005. During the 2005 program a total of 64 registered users from 15 islands and 4 non-island regions signed up: 39 Tasmanian, 5 from other Australian states and 20 International. In July 2005 the Tasmanian Department of Education and the University of Tasmania adopted the project and it is currently being redeveloped. What do we aim to do? To empower Island Communities to create projects that:
What do people have say about the program to date? "I've learnt lots! Your concept is great and I hope you get lots of work uploaded in the near future." Lyn Normington of Invermay Primary, Tasmania"Thank you so much, you both have given our 6th grade students (11 - 12 year olds) a wonderful gift." Valerie Becker of West Tisbury School, Matha's Vineyard, in correspondence with Ms Zayas of the Center for International Studies, Philippines and Charles Kemp, of St Michaels Collegiate, Tasmania" the whole concept opens up the possibility of developing many ongoing relationships between people from around the globe " Charles Kemp, of St Michaels Collegiate, Tasmania Interested in being involved? We are keen to receive Expressions of Interest from island schools; universities; arts, science and civil society organisations; and businesses that pride themselves in being involved in innovation and social responsibility. Contact: Call for papersSpecial issue of the International Journal of Environmental Technology and ManagementHaving completed Guest Editorship for a Special Issue on "Challenges for Changing Islands in a Changing World" for the journal, Sustainable Development , Calbert Douglas develops the island theme further with another special issue, this time looking at technology in small islands. The aim of this special issue of the International Journal of Environmental Technology and Management (IJETM) is to discuss different perspectives on the application of technologies, the management of environmental issues and technological problems they encounter and their resolutions in small island contexts. This special issue will have the purpose of disseminating research that concerns technology in SIDS and island territories of larger countries, in their development, usages and impacts in various areas of their environments. The Call for Papers is on the Inderscience website
You can also contact Cal Douglas email: c.h.douglas@salford.ac.uk to discuss your ideas for a submission. Cal is also in the process of applying for funds to set up an international network for island research into tourism . Anyone interested should contact Cal Douglas email: c.h.douglas@salford.ac.uk .
ConferencesBig Lessons from Small PlacesA Forum on Governance in Rural North America and the North Atlantic Rim October 13-15, 2005Twillingate , Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada Rural areas, small islands and other peripheral jurisdictions face unique challenges and new opportunities in an increasingly global economy. In these changing social, economic and political environments, governance tools are critical for local and jurisdictional development. On October 13-15, 2005, practitioners, policy makers, researchers and other interested community members are gathering in scenic Twillingate , Newfoundland and Labrador , to provoke discussion and debate on innovative approaches to local governance in the new economy. For more information:
Islands of the World IX: Sustainable Islands - Sustainable StrategiesInternational Small Islands Studies Association July 29 - August 3, 2006 Kahului, Maui , Hawai`i Hosted by University of Hawai`i & Maui Community CollegeBackground In 1986, the International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA), made up of scholars, researchers, and island enthusiasts from around the world, organized an international conference on Vancouver Island , Canada , to discuss issues related to small islands. This inaugural "Islands of the World" conference was so successful that it was followed by others in Tasmania (1988), the Bahamas (1992), Okinawa (1994), Mauritius (1998), Isle of Skye (2000), Prince Edward Island (2002), and Taiwan (2004). Islands of the World VIII 2004 Conference T he Islands of the World VIII 2004 Conference was held on Kinmen Island , where over 250 scholars from diverse small islands, representing more than 30 countries throughout the world, convened to share ideas. Conference presentations included cultural and natural resource conservation, globalization, and biodiversity. Conference participants included scholars from Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada , China , Cook Islands, Denmark , Fiji , Germany , India , Indonesia , Italy , Japan , Jamaica , Malta , Mauritius , New Zealan, the Netherlands , Palau , Portugal , Puerto Rico , Russia , Seychelles , Sweden , Switzerland , South Korea , Trinidad and Tobago-West Indies, Taiwan , United Kingdom , and the USA . Islands of the World IX 2006 Conference At the Kinmen Island conference, Maui Community College Chancellor, Clyde Sakamoto; Acting Dean of Instruction, Suzette Robinson; and Academic Senate Chair, Dan Kruse, represented the island of Maui . As a result of the college's active participation in the organization and Chancellor Sakamoto's presentation to the ISISA Executive Committee, Maui was selected as the site for the Islands of the World IX Conference to be held in the summer of 2006. MCC will host the event. The three interconnected themes planned for the 2006 conference tie in with sustainability efforts currently underway on Maui: economy ( po`okela ), ecology ( malama `aina ), and social equity ( ho`ohanohano ). Scholars and experts from around the world will make presentations, lead discussions, and interact with international colleagues on the issues of co-responsibility and strategies for sustainable island development. In addition to bringing this international group together and giving them an opportunity to study and discuss these important issues, the Islands of the World IX Conference will showcase Maui 's rich cultural heritage, strong economic factors, and diverse environment. For additional information, e-mail isisa9@hawaii.edu or phone (1 808).984.3670.
NissologisingIn this section we hope to contribute to communication among island scholars, by keeping ISISA members informed of current research projects. The success of this section will rely on you providing the editor with short summaries of your most current research projects.
NissographicaProf Grant McCall Centre for South Pacific Studies The University of New South Wales Email: g.mccall@unsw.edu.auGrant is writing a book chapter about "Nissographica", or the imagery of islands. In particular, he is contributing to a collection to be published in Vienna about "paradise islands". Grant is writing about Rapanui and how it has been seen as both a paradise and a nightmare island. Grant is also still working on the genealogy monograph about Rapanui.
Birth registration in Vanuatu , Solomon Islands and KiribatiChris McMurraycxm300@caligula.anu.edu.au Chris has just completed a study of birth registration in Vanuatu , Solomon Islands and Kiribati . In recent years high levels of under-registration in many LDCs have attracted the attention of UNICEF and other donors concerned with child protection and child rights issues. Chris's study was used as the main source document for a Pacific regional meeting on birth registration, and is shortly to be published by UNICEF. The meeting, held in Suva , was attended by delegates from Fiji , Kiribati , Samoa , Solomon Islands , Timor Leste, Tonga , Tuvalu and Vanuatu , along with representatives from several donor organizations. Some of the issues identified in Chris's report and discussed at the meeting included:
The Suva meeting brought together health officials and registrars to discuss strategies for improving coverage, and their enthusiasm and interest suggests there could be more support for birth registration and more inter-ministry cooperation in future.
Tasmania Together, Webbing the Islands, Islands and SustainabilityDr Elaine StratfordSustainable Communities Research Group School of Geography and Environmental Studies University of Tasmania Elaine.Stratford@utas.edu.au Elaine has been working on a number of projects that maintain her position in the borderlands among cultural geography, political ecology and critical theory. A paper on Tasmania 's 2020 vision - Tasmania Together - and the constitution of island identities in place, will appear in Geoforum in the near future, and draws on insights from her Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery project on islands, globalization and the rhetorics of sustainability. Elaine has recently completed a random sample telephone survey of Tasmanians, inquiring into their perceptions of economic, environmental and social change over the last and next five years. Also part of the ARC project, the survey will provide the foundations of extended investigations on community understandings of the interrelationships among islands, sustainable development and change. Graduate students in Elaine's care have also been contributing to a growing program in island studies at the University of Tasmania (see graduate news below). Elaine will be travelling to Tuvalu with Carol Fabotko early August to commence fieldwork. Denbeigh Armstrong will also sojourn to Newfoundland in October at the invitation of The Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, and will participate in a multi-jurisdictional forum on governance, work that draws on her cross-cultural doctoral work involving Prince Edward Island and Tasmania . Andrew Harwood's work on the constitution of islandness through the Tasmanian Ten Days on the Island festival has also been a catalyst for the development, over the period from October 2004 to the last festival in April 2005, of a new interactive educational website, Webbing the Islands , through which island school children from all over the world have engaged and shared work around eight themes pertinent to these geographical entities and those who reside on them. Elaine hopes to travel to Melbourne in September to present a paper at one of the Australian preparatory meetings for UNESCO's World Conference on Arts Education in Lisbon 2006 . Backing Our Creativity is a national symposium exploring the role of arts and creativity in education for children and young people. Elaine's paper will focus on the linkages among education, the arts and sustainable development, drawing on Webbing the Islands in that work. She also plans to contribute to a discussion on sub-national islands in Malta in November.
Island Identity in the Literature of Atlantic CanadaLaurie BrinklowMaster of Arts in Island Studies Program University of Prince Edward Island brinklow@upei.ca As a book publisher located in Charlottetown , Prince Edward Island , Canada , I am often faced with a dilemma: who can justifiably be called an "island writer." Through my research I will explore elements of North Atlantic island writing and island identity, by asking the overarching question: is an island writer's literary creation affected by the strength of his/her island identity? I will look at common themes about which islanders write (boundedness, insularity, isolation, survival, relationship with the mainland, migration, the shoreline, traditional vs. modern); distinctive island voices (choice of idiom, indigenous language); island imagery (water, shorelines, bridges); character types; and literary form (memoir, certain types of poetry, the oral tradition). I will look at the writers' relationships with their islands: can a writer write about his/her island if he/she has never left, or ONLY after he/she has left? I will discuss whether this research matters, and to whom. What implication does telling our own stories have for cultural policy? Is it important that island writers are interpreters for their people, the voice of their island? What is the role of publishing? And, finally, how does an island's cultural policy affect the power relationships between the islands and their mainland governments? How does it affect the ebbs and flows of political and artistic consciousness that come from being on the periphery?
Island HoppingStephen RoyleHuman Geography Queen's University, Belfast Northern Ireland , UK s.royle@qub.ac.uk Since the appearance of his 2001 book, A Geography of Islands, Stephen has been investigating how the inhabitants of the islands off Ireland celebrate or exploit their heritage. He was awarded a Shackleton Scholarship in 2004 for a study of tourism in the Falkland Islands to appear in Godfrey Baldacchino's book on cold-water island tourism. Stephen is presently the J.B. Harley Fellow in the History of Cartography, which funds him to carry out a study of early maps of St Helena held in the record repositories of the London area. On sabbatical in 2004 Steve carried out research into colonies ruled by commercial companies. He has four case studies, all islands:
Steve visited all these islands in 2004 to collect data as well as spending much time in the British Library and other repositories in England . He also reportedly takes the opportunity to go 'islanding' whenever possible and key islands bagged in 2004 were Robben Island and, a lifetime's ambition, Easter Island . Steve was invited to give the keynote address to the European Union's Overseas Countries and Territories Association Conference in February 2005 held on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands . He also led a field trip with students to Cyprus in April and gave a series of lectures on islands in Comenius University , Bratislava , in land-locked Slovakia in May. Steve's hosts took him to Kepelny Ostrov, a river island in the Danube .
Island Studies JournalGodfrey BaldachhinoCanada Research Chair (Island Studies) University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI), Canada gbaldacchino@upei.ca
Godfrey has been working on the development of the Island Studies Journal , a scholarly journal for the inter-disciplinary study of our 'world of islands'. The first issue of the journal, "ISJ 1(1)", should be available in May 2006. The journal will be an electronic-based, refereed journal that publishes papers dealing with:
The Institute of Island Studies (IIS) at the University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) will be the institutional home of this journal. The IIS is a research, education and public policy institute, set up in 1985. With an emphasis on Prince Edward Island , the work of the Institute focuses on the culture, environment and economy of small islands: www.upei.ca/iis/ . UPEI has a solid track record in island scholarship. Apart from supporting the Institute of Island Studies, UPEI has facilitated a North Atlantic Islands Programme (since 1992), hosted the 7 th ISISA International Conference in 2002; nests the Canada Research Chair in Island Studies (since 2003); and runs academic programmes in Island Studies at UPEI, including an undergraduate minor (since 1999) and a Master of Arts Degree in Island Studies (since 2003): www.upei.ca .
Postgraduate NewsIn this section we hope to show case research being undertaken by new island scholars. If you are a new island scholar or are supervising a new island scholar and would like your work to be included in this section, please send your name contact details and a brief summary of your research to the editor. Exploring the spatial and the social in environmental debate: Tuvalu and climate changeCarol FarbotkoPhD Candidate Sustainable Communities Research Group School of Geography and Environmental Studies University of Tasmania carolfarbotko@iprimus.com.au The aim of my research is to examine the idea of 'vulnerability' and its role in the construction of Tuvalu 's place-based identity. Using discourse analytic methods to analyse representations of Tuvalu in research, governance and media discourses, I am exploring different ways that appeals to 'vulnerability' are made in the context of islands generally, and climate change in particular. My research draws on the literature of island studies and social science research concerning the spatiality of social life. The linkages between and among climate change, island places, and identity within a critical framework warrant attention at a time when Tuvaluans are negotiating the challenges that climate change presents to the future habitability of their islands. My research objectives are as follows:
Managing offshore islands in Australia and New Zealand: sustainability challenges and opportunitiesRebecca JacksonPhD Candidate Sustainable Communities Research Group School of Geography and Environmental Studies University of Tasmania rjackson@postoffice.utas.edu.au The focus within island studies tends to be on oceanic nation states. However, there is a clear need for research on sub-national offshore islands. Such islands are attractive for residential development and tourism. However, such developments may have a significant impact on island environments, which tend to be particularly vulnerable due to their limited size and resources, and they may contain endemic and/or threatened species. Using case studies of offshore islands in Australia and New Zealand , sustainability challenges and opportunities will be explored, focusing on the key themes of development, environment and island communities. The primary research method will be interviews with key island stakeholders in government, community organisations and the tourism sector. It is hoped that the study will highlight common management issues on islands in different jurisdictions and facilitate best-practice management for future island sustainability.
The quarantine protection of IUCN Category 1a strict nature reserves: theoretical and practical perspectivesSandra PotterPhD Candidate School of Geography and Environmental Studies University of Tasmania S_Potter@utas.edu.au The distinct physical delineation of islands makes them potentially ideal subjects for studies of quarantine processes focussed on the identification of vectors or pathways for introductions, and the application of pre-border and border interventions. However while islands present as precise spatial categories, bounded-ness is not synonymous with system closure. This research examines questions of biotic mobility, quarantine policy and conservation management with respect to islands and island-like settings designated IUCN Category 1a protected areas (1APA) - nature reserves secured for scientific studies, environmental monitoring and education, and for which a management objective is the preservation of habitats, ecosystems and species in an undisturbed state.
Analysis of the constitution of an 'indigenous' sense of place and community in a small island state: the case of Norfolk Island and the Pitcairn-descendant populationMichael RitzauBA(Hons) Candidate Sustainable Communities Research Group School of Geography and Environmental Studies University of Tasmania mjritzau@utas.edu.au In conjunction with Dr. Elaine Stratford I am looking at the question of indigeneity among the Pitcairn Island descendant sector of the population of Norfolk Island . This qualitative research project is to examine the way in which a number of Pitcairn-descendant, Norfolk Islanders constituted, developed and sustain a culture which they describe as indigenous. Indigenous peoples can be generalised as a 'community of place', in that the population is established from antiquity as the resident population of that place. The particular culture group being studied originated in 1790 as a 'community of interest', the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian 'wives', in a bounded space (Pitcairn Island), transformed through isolation and time, into a 'community of place'. In 1856 this entire culture group moved to Norfolk Island , effectively extending the 'place' of the community. Since that time they continue as a particular cultural group but once again more a 'community of interest' due to the arrival of individuals from outside. Research questions to be examined include:
Michael is a recipient of the islandstate® Credit Union Scholarship in Island Studies at the University of Tasmania . The scholarship is designed to help Tasmanian's understand the place where they live, to understand the challenges facing Tasmania and to add to the body of knowledge that will help keep Tasmania uniquely Tasmanian.
PublicationsLongitude and Empire: How Capitan Cook's Voyage Changed the WorldBrian Richardson L ongitude and Empire: How Capitan Cook's Voyages Changed the World was published in June in hardcover and will be available next January in paper. To read the publishers comments or to order a copy visit the UBC Press website at http://www.ubcpress.ca/search/title_book.asp?BookID=4442
Contributions to ISISA NewsletterContributions would be welcome such as short articles, book reviews or news items. Articles can be e-mailed or sent on a floppy disk or CD Rom. Our preferred format is MS Word. Please send all contributions to: Ms. Denbeigh ArmstrongSchool of Geography and Environmental Studies University of Tasmania Private Bag 78 HOBART Tasmania 7001 Australia Denbeigh.Armstrong@utas.edu.au
MembershipMembership is open to any individual or institution that subscribes to the objectives of the Association. Present subscription rates are: Ordinary Individual Member: £15
ISISA objectivesISISA is a voluntary, non-profit and independent organisation. Our objectives are to study islands on their own terms, and to encourage free scholarly discussion on small island related matters such as islandness, smallness, insularity, dependency, resource management and environment, and the nature of island life. ISISA pursues its objectives by encouraging the networking of small island communities through international communication systems, such as newsletters and journals and the holding of periodic, multi-disciplinary conferences, employing appropriate technologies to achieve these ends. For further information about ISISA and for details of past conferences visit the ISISA website at: http://www.geol.utas.edu.au/isisa/
Executive Committee Members (2002- 2006)
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