Watch this space to learn about our roots!

Officially born in 1985, the Institute of Island Studies is well on its way to turning 40. In celebration of how we came to be one of the leading international centres of collaborative transdisciplinary research about Islands, we’ve started a Substack account that features podcasts with the people who moved mountains around on Prince Edward Island and internationally, so that we could do what we do today. Sign up for a free subscription here, if you’d like to get an email every time we share another podcast or host an event that leads into our 2025 birthday celebrations!

The early days

Before we became the Institute of Island Studies, we were the Island Studies Committee. This is a cover image of the recordings from the Island Folk Festival, that the Committee sponsored in partnership with the West Prince Arts Council. Held at the Westisle Theatre, in the Westisle Composite High School, Elmsdale, Prince Edward Island, this 1982 event is symbolic of our connection to Prince Edward Island and our recognition that islands across the world enrich our understanding of what it means to be part of unique and distinct communities that have so much in common because they are not just small, not just geographically places unto themselves, but because they are islands.