Rethinking Island Methodologies

Elaine Stratford is professor of geography at the University of Tasmania. She led the Rethinking the Island series with Godfrey and Elizabeth, is editor-in-chief of Geographical Research, a deputy editor of Island Studies Journal, and an active member of the International Small Islands Studies Association.Godfrey Baldacchino is professor of sociology at the University of Malta. He previously served as Canada research chair and UNESCO co-chair in island studies at the University of Prince Edward Island and as president of the International Small Islands Studies Association. He set up Island Studies Journal in 2006 and served as its editor until 2016.Elizabeth McMahon is professor of English at the University of New South Wales, Australia. Her book, Islands, Identity and the Literary Imagination, won two national awards for literary scholarship. She has edited Southerly, Australia’s oldest literary journal, since 2008 and previously edited Australian Humanities Review.

A book that simultaneously captures and celebrates island worlds, carving out meanings of islandness in diverse contexts, unpacking their roots and lamenting their loss. So many of these reflections will resonate with students of islands, engaging their minds, sparking their emotions, and ultimately demonstrating often-unsuspected commonalities within the global family of islands and their inhabitants.

• Acknowledgments 1 Introduction Elaine Stratford, Godfrey Baldacchino, and Elizabeth McMahon2 Valuing: Why Should We Study Islands and Archipelagos? Godfrey Baldacchino3 Being: What Is the Nature of Islands and Archipelagos as Entities and Relations? Elizabeth McMahon4 Knowing: What Constitutes Knowing in the Study of Islands and Archipelagos? Elaine Stratford5 Speculating: What Approaches Are Used to Know in the Study of Islands and Archipelagos?Godfrey Baldacchino6 Guiding: What Rationales and Rules Typify the Study of Islands and Archipelagos? Elizabeth McMahon7 Doing: By What Methods Do We Acquire Knowledge in Studies of Islands and Archipelagos?Elaine Stratford8 Conversing: What Does It Mean to Share and Stress-Test Ideas about Rethinking Island Methodologies?Elaine Stratford, Elizabeth McMahon, Godfrey Baldacchino, and Colleagues9 Practicing: What Does It Mean to Apply the “Knowing” of Island and Archipelagic Studies?Godfrey Baldacchino and Elaine StratfordReferences