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Institute of Island Studies Mandate Conceived by a small group of PEI scholars and community leaders in 1982 and brought into being at UPEI in 1985, the Institute of Island Studies has strived to improve the quality of life on Prince Edward Island through practical applications of the scholarly field of Island Studies. With the generous support of the University of Prince Edward Island, the provincial government, federal agencies, private sponsors, and many, many Island volunteers who have served on the Advisory Council and its committees, the Institute has worked to fulfill four key objectives:
The mandate of the Institute has been reviewed at intervals, most recently in 2005, and is as relevant and important today as it was 20 years ago.
Over the past 20 years, the Institute has performed research; facilitated public discussions; intervened in public policy debates and supported cultural events. Under the name of Island Studies Press, the Institute has published important books and videos dealing with the history, culture, political life, and environment of PEI. These include Them Times by David Weale, which is a Canadian best-seller. Institute staff launched the North Atlantic Islands Programme in 1994, bringing together island scholars from all across the Atlantic. Since then, IIS has also become integral to the Global Islands Network, which links an even wider array of island scholars. Research associates affiliated with the Institute have undertaken comparative research on islands across the globe. The Institute has convened several international conferences on issues of importance to islands, and has attracted international scholars to the University of PEI to do research, conduct lectures and courses, and generally enhance the reputation and academic standing of the University. One of these is Dr Godfrey Baldacchino from Malta, the first Canada Research Chair in Island Studies, who joined UPEI in 2003. In recent years, as a result of hard work by Island Studies staff, UPEI faculty and supporters, a Master of Arts in Island Studies Program was launched at UPEI, which in 2005 has grown to include 22 graduate students. In 2005, the provincial government has convened Standing Committees of the legislature to discuss agricultural policy, forest policy, immigration, and proportional representation: areas of public policy that the Institute of Island Studies has steadfastly researched and promoted through the years. For this contribution to public debate and policy development, we owe a debt of gratitude to the former Directors of the Institute, Harry Baglole (1985 – 2003) and Jane Ledwell (2003-2004). The current director, hired in December 2004, is Dr Irené Novaczek. Online Library & Publications Visit the IIS website at www.upei.ca/iis/ for access to an online library of many of the Institute's reports. Click on the link to the Island Studies Press page to see Island Studies publications that are available for purchase. These include our most recent books: Pets Professors and Politicians (a history of the Atlantic Veterinary College), Working Together (a compelling history of the co-op movement on PEI) and Letters From the Manse (documenting the life of a minister's wife in rural PEI in 1949-50), as well as popular older titles such as From a Stretcher Handle, The Master's Wife, The Edge of Home, Drive Dull Care Away, A Stream Out of Lebanon, and Black Islanders.
Under the leadership of the current director, marine biologist Dr Irené Novaczek, the Institute will embark on new areas of research, public education and policy development. These will include marine conservation & management, marine ethnobotany, gender issues in small scale fisheries, climate change impacts on islands, and models of local governance that can respond to emerging economic and environmental challenges. 2006 should witness the launch of a peer-reviewed, on-line academic publication named Island Studies Journal.
The IIS has a volunteer Advisory Council of 16 persons, drawn from both UPEI faculty and the wider Island Community. Council meetings are open to any Islander interested in supporting the work of the Institute of Island Studies.
On 21 June we celebrate the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding & Association between the Institute of Island Studies and the Mi'kmaq Confederacy of PEI. We expect this to lead to a rich collaboration on research in the areas of natural resource management, gender and climate change. It is hoped that this association will stimulate a feeling of pride and belonging at UPEI, among First Nations students, and lead to their increased enrollment in post-secondary education. An autumn lecture series "Islands of the North, Islands of the South," will bring speakers to various venues across PEI, presenting their experiences as Prince Edward Islanders who have lived and worked on small islands of the developing world. In November the IIS, together with Cooper Institute and CUSO, will facilitate a sustainable forestry exchange. An activist from the aboriginal, sustainable forestry movement on the Island of Chiloe in southern Chile will come to PEI to share experiences in community-based management of forests with government agencies, woodlot owners, and environmental organizations on PEI.
Watch for our soon-to-be released Chinese Islanders: A History of the Chinese in Prince Edward Island by Dr Hung-Min Chiang, which is a meticulous and fascinating account of a little-known slice of Island history.
Irene Novaczek, Director of IIS : 566 0386 or inovaczek@upei.ca
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