Turning the Tide

A new collection of essays published by Island Studies Press called Turning the Tide: Climate Change, Social Change and Islandness will be launched on March 2 at 7 pm in the Faculty Lounge, Main Building Room 201, at UPEI in Charlottetown.

The launch will include a panel discussion with co-editors Jean Mitchell and Laurie Brinklow from UPEI, local contributors, and joining them virtually, co-editors Eric Mijts from the University of Aruba and islands researcher Anouk Mertens. The panel will engage in a unique conversation that spans art, agriculture, labour, and energy. Authors will highlight key findings from their chapters and answer questions about how art can act as a bridge between climate change and social change, or how remote islands face unique challenges when it comes to meeting energy needs, or what local and Indigenous knowledge can offer to resilient food systems.

Jean Mitchell is a professor in Anthropology and the UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability at UPEI. Laurie Brinklow is a poet and assistant professor of Island Studies at UPEI. Eric Mijts is a researcher, educator, and manager at the University of Aruba who focuses on sustainable development in small island states. Anouk Mertens is the former project manager of the EU-funded SISSTEM Project; she has a great interest in the intersection between sustainability and islandness.

This wide-ranging and deep conversation places islands and islanders at the centre of climate change. The event is free, and all are welcome. For more information, contact Bren Simmers at Island Studies Press at 902-566-0386 or ispstaff@upei.ca.