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The need to stay connected: Embedding the voices of young island researchers.
Mijts, Eric
Brinklow, Laurie McDonald, Anne Hall, Iain Mertens, Anouk Singh, Simron
Brinklow, Laurie
McDonald, Anne
Hall, Iain
Singh, Simron
Promotor / Advisor
Keyword
Climate Change
Social change
Islandness
Turning the Tide
Social change
Islandness
Turning the Tide
Location research
Date
2026-01
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
Publisher
Island Studies Press
Language
en
ISSN
ISBN
978-1-988692-80-7
Citations
Altmetric:
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Abstract
This chapter brings together the key themes discussed throughout this book. The complex intersection of climate change and social change in islands is a deeply human, social, and cultural phenomenon. Island communities have developed multiple ways of dealing with, coping with, and remaining resilient in the face of major threats. During the conference a special session was organized with an emphasis on embedding the contribution of young island scholars, the ones that will shape the future of island studies. During this session, key themes emerged that resonate with those explored in this book and may help guide the navigation of island and climate futures. These key themes include the need for transdisciplinary island research, and a deeper understanding of the positionality of the island researchers as pivotal players in understanding the complexities of island ecosystems, island metabolisms, island connectivity, and islands' social fabric. The importance of the context rather than the discipline as a starting point entails the need for systematic approaches that engage island communities throughout the research process, and foster peer-to-peer learning among island researchers. As one of the participants stated: we should not become a huge island, but we need to stay connected. Small island sustainability is an issue as complex and diverse as small islands themselves, spanning disciplines, geographies, and generations. At the heart of enabling and ensuring sustainable island futures lies capacity-building, itself a multi-faceted issue and one that demands continued and consistent attention. The need for increasing capacity lies not only in meeting the needs of today, but also in maintaining and growing capacities such that future needs can be effectively met. For this to be possible, new generations of island researchers and practitioners must be nurtured and developed, with the net cast wide beyond those who live and work on small islands. With a focus on The need to stay connected: Embedding the voices of young island researchers
Citation
Mijts, E., Brinklow, L., McDonald, A., Hall, I., Mertens, A., Singh, S. (2026) The Need to Stay Connected: Embedding the Voices of Young Island Researchers. In: Mitchell, J., Brinklow, L., Mertens, A., Mijts, E. (2026) Turning the Tide: Climate change, social change and islandness. Island Studies Press. p. 254 - 269.
Sponsorship
Journal / Book / Conference
Turning the Tide: Climate Change, Social Change & Islandness