UPEI Institute Publishes A World of Islands
Close to 10 per cent of the world's population and#150; 600 million people and#150; live on islands. A quarter of the world's sovereign states consist of islands or archipelagos. At the University of Prince Edward Island, a significant new book has just been published that provides the first global, research-based, comprehensive and multi-disciplinary overview of the study of islands.
"A World of Islands" is a 635-page reader that explores what different disciplines have to say about the role that islands play in their particular field of inquiry. Topics range from identities, locations, and landscapes, to economic growth and prosperity. It is edited by Dr. Godfrey Baldacchino, Canada Research Chair in Island Studies. The book is co-published by the Institute of Island Studies at UPEI, in Canada, and by Agenda Academic Publishers in Malta.
"It has, up to now, been impossible to find a text that treats islands from a truly trans-disciplinary perspective, appraising the role of islands and island life from the vantage point of both the natural and the social sciences, and soberly assessing the challenges facing island development from such a wide perspective," says Dr. Baldacchino. "This scholarly deficit has now been addressed."
The expertise and insights of 42 scholars and contributors offer a unique collection of theoretical principles, ideas, observations and policy proposals from, and for, the study of islands and island life. The text is accompanied by maps, prints, tables and graphs, as well as a detailed 3,000-item subject and author index.
"A World of Islands is a significant publication that consolidates UPEI's position as a world centre of scholarship in the study of islands," says Dr. Richard Kurial, UPEI Dean of Arts.
A detailed description of the book's rationale and contents can be found at: http://www.islandstudies.ca/A-World-of-Islands/. Further information is available at: gbaldacchino@upei.ca; 566 0909.
