Islands and Island Studies 2025

International Conference: Islands and Island Studies 2025: Visions, strategies and local projects

Venue: JICAS, Jersey — Dates: June 3rd–7th 2025.
Organised by the Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies (JICAS) in collaboration with Shima and the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI).

The interdisciplinary field of Island Studies began in the early 1990s with the establishment of ISISA (the International Small Islands Studies Association). The field was subsequently enhanced through the formation of SICRI (the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative) in 2005, and with the establishment of a number of academic periodicals, including Island Studies Journal (in 2006), Shima (2007), The Journal of Marine and Island Cultures (2012) and the Okinawan Journal of Island Studies (2020). Organisations such as Island Innovation (founded in 2018) have also pursued collaborative research, development and dialogue between and for islanders.

The Islands and Island Studies 2025 conference will provide an opportunity for researchers, administrators, policy makers and islanders to explore key questions concerning island societies and jurisdictions in the early 21st Century and to review research in the field to date.

Proposals for papers should be 250–300 words long and should be submitted to islandsandis@gmail.com by November 1st 2024 and notifications of acceptance will be issued by December 10th 2024. Any inquiries as to the suitability of proposed topics and/or proposals for panels can be sent to Philip Hayward (on behalf of the conference organising committee) at prhshima@gmail.com by October 1st 2024.

NEW: ISLAND RESEARCH REPOSITORY

The Island Research Repository (www.islandrepository.ac.je) is an informal collective of second and third-sector organisations that have come together to publish Jersey-based research for the benefit of our island community. Consisting of academics, practitioners and community organisers, the IRR’s steering group looks to organise a central repository to support research accessibility, impact and influence and identify those who are currently involved with any aspect of research on the island.

Although the IRR aims to collect and collate relevant Jersey-based research for the benefit of our island community, the IRR will also serve as a basis of knowledge for other island nations and small states. This exchange of knowledge on a global level will help widen the IRR’s importance while demonstrating Jersey’s position as a leading authority on many subjects relating to islands and island communities.

The Island Research Repository’s scope includes:

• Health

• Social Care / Welfare

• Lived Experience

• Justice

• Environment

• Education

• History and Heritage

For more information about submission guidelines, pls email rees.monet@jicas.ac.je

Why Islands?

Islands provide some of the planet’s most spectacular examples of biodiversity, making them important repositories of unique species. Yet there are probably more endangered species and habitats per capita in Small Island States and territories than anywhere else in the world. Species living on islands are more vulnerable to extinction, largely because of the impact of introduced species. Islands, especially isolated oceanic islands, have evolved in isolation for millions of years, and their animals and plants have had to compete with only a limited range of species. For this reason they provide a ready home for many species of exotic animals and plants, and their flora and fauna is especially vulnerable to extinction after the arrival of man and the exotic animals and plants that always accompany him to those islands. 

Archaeological and historical studies provide many examples of resource over-exploitation leading to extinction and the collapse of civilization. Most documented species extinctions have been on islands, and contemporary ecological studies of islands show very clearly the kinds of threats faced by both island and continental ecosystems. 

• 10 of the 34 richest areas of biodiversity in the world!

• 13% of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites

• More than half of the world's marine biodiversity

• 7 of the world's 10 coral reef hotspots

Islands and Island Communities

JICAS aims to create a suite of niche Postgraduate degrees focusing on islands and island communities. We recognise that Jersey is ideally placed to lead the way in meeting the challenges facing our world in the 21st century and through cross-discipline research, teaching and learning. This, then, is where we begin!