Recordings

Recordings

Check out our recorded webinars and video footage from past events to listen to inspiring stories, learn from engaging discussions, and stay digitally connected and informed.
To view upcoming webinars and other virtual events, click here.

Island Lecture Series: The Ecosystem Restoration Project at Basin Head with Dr. Irene Novaczek

The April 2023 Island Lecture Series featured marine ecologist Dr. Irené Novaczek speaking about the Ecosystem Restoration Project at Basin Head, Prince Edward Island. Basin Head was designated as a “Marine Protected Area” under the Oceans Act in 2005, to conserve and protect a unique strain of Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) which is thought to exist only within the confines of Basin Head. The talk focuses on adaptive management of the Marine Protected Area to ensure that the unique giant form of Irish moss at Basin Head is able to survive in the coastal lagoon environment which is challenged by impacts of local agriculture, invasive European green crabs, and ongoing climate changes. A graduate of the Marine Studies Program at University of the South Pacific in Fiji, Dr. Irene Novaczek was the Director of the Institute of Island Studies from 2001 to 2013. She then went on to become senior research scientist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans from 2014 to 2019, where she led a research and ecosystem restoration program at Basin Head Marine Protected Area in Eastern PEI. Over the years, as an Adjunct Professor in the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) program, she has supervised several MAIS students. In addition to running her company, Oceana Seaplants, she is Mayor of Breadalbane, PEI.

Island Lecture Series| Towards Energy Sovereignty with Dr. Nick Mercer January 24 2023

Recorded January 24, 2023

Newfoundland and Labrador is a global leader in the development of renewable energy. However, the electricity-generation mix differs dramatically in remote and Indigenous communities throughout the province, which remain almost exclusively reliant on diesel fuel, resulting in numerous energy inequities. While sustainable energies are often promoted for these isolated villages, emerging research demonstrates detrimental socio-economic and livelihood implications which emerge when development is led by outsiders or corporate interests.

More info…

Island Lecture Series | Enshrined: Island Tourism and the Confederation Story with Dr. Ed MacDonald

Recorded November 15th, 2022 as part of our Island Lecture Series
Due to technical difficulties, the video was cut off at 40 minutes. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
For over a century, the three staple constants in Prince Edward Island tourism have been our pastoral landscape, Anne of Green Gables, and the Island’s claim as the “Birthplace of Confederation.” But becoming the “Cradle of Confederation” was not as easy as it sounds, and the story of how Island tourism promoters recognized the tourism potential of that claim, then gradually convinced Canadians that it was both true and important presents a fascinating case study of “site sacralization” and branding in Canada’s Garden Province.

More info…

Island Lecture Series | “What’s law got to do with it! Islands And Their Status In International Law” with Dr. Donald Rothwell

Our September 13 lecture featured Dr. Donald Rothwell exploring the international conversation on the legal status of islands, a notion increasingly contested in various parts of the world. Can international law resolve these issues or just make them more contentious? 

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Island Lecture Series: Trade in the Nicobar Islands with Shaina Sehgal March 2022

the eastern Indian ocean. However, these islands were ports-of-call along the ancient sea route from West Asia to South-East Asia and reported by traders and sea-farers throughout history. In this talk, Sehgal sketches the trading world of the Nicobar Islands between the 18th and 19th centuries. Analysis of historical texts, maps and images from this period shows the connection between seasonal trade within the archipelago and trade with the Nicobar Islands. This study concludes that these islands were a site of sustained contact within the bustling Indian Ocean world until the early 20th century.

Island Lecture Series: Arts and Climate Adaptation – Ilse van Dijke

In the first installment of the 2022 Island Lecture series, Ilse van Dijk presents the findings of the research she conducted as an intern with Island Studies and the School of Climate Change and Adaptation at UPEI. The research was funded by the Climate Sense project. In her research project, Ilse aimed to identify possibilities for the integration of artistic processes into climate change adaptation policies on Prince Edward Island.
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Celebrating Poetry Month: Laurie Brinklow and Bren Simmers in conversation with Richard Lemm

For our April Island Lecture Series session, we celebrated Poetry Month and launched two new books of poetry from Laurie Brinklow and Bren Simmers. Laurie and Bren each read from their new books and were joined in conversation by Richard Lemm, who brought some great questions and lots of laughs.
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Learning from Financial Crisis: Towards Sustainable Island Futures for Iceland and Newfoundland & Labrador

For our March Island Lecture Series session, Prof. Mark Stoddart (Memorial University of Newfoundland) and Dr. Ásthildur Elva Bernharðsdóttir (Reykjavík Akademían; University of Iceland) discuss the financial crises of Iceland (2008–2009) and Newfoundland & Labrador (currently). What have these experiences had in common and what lessons can they teach us?
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Factors influencing change in the Prince Edward Island Lobster Fishery

In this video, Master of Arts in Island Studies student Ian McIsaac defends his thesis, “Factors influencing change in the Prince Edward Island Lobster Fishery” via Zoom.
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Music-making and the experience of community life on an Irish island

For our Island Lecture Series January session, Irish ethnomusicologist Dr. Rory McCabe joined us live from Clare Island, Ireland, to discuss music-making as a fundamental part of island community life and an important measure of island vitality. Following his presentation, Rory was joined in conversation by Dr. Laurie Brinklow (Institute of Island Studies, UPEI) to discuss the intersection of music-making and island studies and how this can help us to understand islandness, followed by a lively Q&A session with questions from the audience.
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Writing the Island 

October’s Island Lecture Series event featured JoDee Samuelson, author of The Cove Journal, reading from her collection of essays about life on the South Shore of Prince Edward Island. JoDee will also be joined by Bren Simmers (Island Studies Press; Pivot Point) in a conversation about her inspiration for the book, her writing process, and the art of place-based writing. We had a wonderfully engaged audience who submitted some excellent questions for JoDee and Bren to discuss. Click here for more details

Islands and COVID-19 Recovery Plans: Promoting Resilience and Sustainability

In this virtual panel, Dr. Jim Randall (UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability) and Dr. Francesco Sindico (Strathclyde Centre for Environmental Law and Governance) were joined by representatives from islands around the world to share lessons on how islands are demonstrating resilience as they respond to COVID-19 and discuss the challenges and opportunities that communities are navigating around the world and right here on Prince Edward Island. Click here for more details

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Seminar/Webinar: The Bridge Effect: A Case Study of Prince Edward Island, Canada, with Some Implications for Gozo [May 24th]

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The Bridge Effect: A Case Study of Prince Edward Island, Canada, with Some Implications for Gozo
Laurie Brinklow, Island Studies, University of Prince Edward Island 
May 24th, 2023 at, 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. ADT (4:30 p.m. – 6 p.m. CEST)

The idea of a permanent link joining the mainland to Prince Edward Island, on Canada’s Atlantic coast, goes back to 1887 when a Canadian Senator suggested the government lay an iron subway across the floor of the Northumberland Strait; the price tag was $5 million. A few years later, they suggested a $12 million tunnel. Neither came to fruition, but over the next century, the conversation continued until 1989, when a plebiscite was held to determine whether or not Islanders wanted a “fixed link.” The vote was close: 59% in favour, 41% against. Thus the way was paved to build the Confederation Bridge, a $1 billion 12-9-kilometre-long bridge across the Northumberland Strait. It opened on May 31, 1997, as the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered waters.  

Bridging an island is often a polarizing subject: an islander can cherish the bounded flavour that an island provides or can valorize the benefits of a link―for instance, the convenience and monetary benefits of transporting people and goods on- and off-island. A permanent link might even allow an island to remain a viable place to live. This presentation tells the story of Prince Edward Island’s bridge and its socio-cultural, economic, and political impacts on the Island in the 25 years since it opened. A conversation about how these lessons might apply to Malta and Gozo will follow.  

Click here to register!

Meet the Speaker

Dr. Laurie Brinklow is an Assistant Professor of Island Studies at the University of Prince Edward Island, Canada, where she is the Coordinator of the Master of Arts in Island Studies (MAIS) Program and Chair of the Institute of Island Studies. A writer, editor, and former book publisher, she is a graduate of the MAIS program (2007) and has a PhD in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of Tasmania (2015). She is particularly interested in the power of place, story, and identity in creating vibrant island communities. She has published in several academic journals and books and is the author of two books of poetry, Here for the Music (Acorn, 2012) and My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press, 2021). She is the Government of Iceland’s Honorary Consul for Prince Edward Island and President of the International Small Island Studies Association (ISISA). 

  1. PEI-Tasmania collaboration world premiere: Atlantic String Machine, with guest Hannah O’Donnell, performs song cycle by Tasmania’s Don Kay and PEI’s Laurie Brinklow Comments Off on PEI-Tasmania collaboration world premiere: Atlantic String Machine, with guest Hannah O’Donnell, performs song cycle by Tasmania’s Don Kay and PEI’s Laurie Brinklow
  2. Master of Arts in Island Studies Thesis Defence: Fiona Steele   Comments Off on Master of Arts in Island Studies Thesis Defence: Fiona Steele  
  3. Island Lecture Series: Dr. Irené Novaczek  Comments Off on Island Lecture Series: Dr. Irené Novaczek 
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  6. Island Lecture Series| Anticosti: Finisterre Metropolitan with Matthew Hatvany Comments Off on Island Lecture Series| Anticosti: Finisterre Metropolitan with Matthew Hatvany
  7. Island Lecture Series: What’s Law Got To Do With It! Islands And Their Status In International Law with Dr. Donald Rothwell Comments Off on Island Lecture Series: What’s Law Got To Do With It! Islands And Their Status In International Law with Dr. Donald Rothwell
  8. MAIS Program Well-Represented at Two International Conferences  Comments Off on MAIS Program Well-Represented at Two International Conferences 
  9. Dr. Laurie Brinklow named President of ISISA Comments Off on Dr. Laurie Brinklow named President of ISISA