Tag Archives: Events

Island Lecture Series: “Camping in the Backyard: Provincial Park Campgrounds and Island Tourism, 1945—2000” with Dr. Edward MacDonald

Join us on October 17th, at 7 PM in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building for a lecture from PEI historian, Dr. Ed MacDonald!
The historical literature on camping in the Western world has been preoccupied with the period between the mid-1800s and the Second World War. It maintains that well-heeled city dwellers camped in order to escape summers in North America’s dirty, polluted, high-stress cities and connect physically and emotionally with the wild Nature. But it was the postwar era and the gradual democratization of tourism that brought camping to the masses. And the experience on Prince Edward Island tells a different story about the motives behind, and the experience of, camping. Focusing particularly on the Island’s provincial parks, “Camping in the Backyard” will unpack the rise and fall (and rise again) of camping in terms of the Island’s tourism industry.

Meet the Speaker

Dr. Edward MacDonald teaches in the History Department at UPEI. His research focus is the social, cultural, and environmental history of Prince Edward Island. Along with Josh MacFadyen and Irene Novaczek, he is co-editor of Time and A Place: An Environmental History of Prince Edward Island, co-published by Island Studies Press and McGill-Queen’s University Press. The best known of his seven books is If You’re Stronghearted: Prince Edward Island in the 20th Century (October 2000).

Island Lecture Series Double Feature: “Sami Educational Viewpoints From the Past and Present” and “The Use of Yoik, Traditional Sami Singing, in Education”

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Kicking off this season’s Island Lecture Series Tuesday, September 19th, are two guests who are NOT talking about islands, but rather something that resonates with islands and islanders from the North: Sami culture from Lapland.  

Pigga Keskitalo will present “Sami Educational Viewpoints From the Past and Present.”  In this presentation, Pigga Keskitalo will review Sámi education history and current practices. Currently, there is need for innovative solutions so that everyone can reach education in their Indigenous languages. Endangered Sami languages have developed distance education since the 1990’s, so that children and language learners – despite their location – can learn Sami languages. In Finland, there is a Sami language distance education project. The Academy of Finland-funded research project, ADVOST concentrated on developing this distance education in a small children’s context. The research project also implemented land-based education, storytelling, and playful learning into distance education. Keskitalo will present this project and core results in addition to the new research project LINCOSY (funded by the Finnish Research Council, former Academy of Finland), which concentrates on Sami language teaching in Nordic level.

Laila Nutti will present her PhD project about pedagogical use of yoik with the title: “The Use of Yoik, Traditional Sami Singing, in Education”

Pigga Keskitalo and Laila Nutti are on Prince Edward Island as part of the ConnectED Scholar Exchange, which aims to create connections between early career scholars and researchers across the Arctic. Hosted by Dr. Kathy Snow (Education), David Varis (Education/IKERAS), and Dr. Laurie Brinklow (Island Studies), our guests will be meeting with graduate students and educators across the Island from September 18-21, 2023.

RSVP to the Facebook Event to add it to your calendar and receive reminders!

Meet the Speakers


Pigga Keskitalo
Pigga Keskitalo holds a PhD in Education and is a Professor of education, specifically in Arctic perspectives in education, at the University of Lapland, Faculty of Education, Rovaniemi, Finland. She is also an Adjunct Professor (Title of Docent) at the University of Helsinki. Keskitalo has participated in various national and international research and development projects regarding topics of socially sustainable development, education, and equity in global and Arctic communities, as well as, more specifically, in Sami education and language teaching. She has previously worked for 20 years in Norway as a teacher educator. Learn more…



Laila Nutti
Laila Nutti is a PhD Candidate at the Sami University of Applied Sciences

Learn more…

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). 

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

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Charlottetown, PEI (May 4, 2023) —

Four poems from Laurie Brinklow’s PEI Book Award-winning poetry My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press/Walleah Press) have been set to music by one of Tasmania’s best-loved composers Don Kay.

Now, Prince Edward Island’s award-winning string quintet, Atlantic String Machine, with guest soloist Hannah O’Donnell, will perform the song cycle’s world premiere on Saturday, May 13, at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. in Charlottetown as part of the final concert of their 2022-23 season entitled “Coming Together.”

Kay and Brinklow connected when the writer’s Island Studies PhD research brought her to Tasmania. As part of her program, she interviewed the composer and wrote a poem for him based on the interview. Kay then took “So it begins at Hastings Bay,” plus three more of the Tasmanian poems, and created a song cycle for mezzo soprano and string quintet. Kay has composed works for opera and theatre, symphony orchestra, and choirs that have been performed around the world. In 1991, he was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for his contribution to the arts. He is now retired from a post at the Tasmanian Conservatorium of Music.

Says Brinklow, “I’m absolutely thrilled that this island-to-island collaboration is coming to the world stage. It demonstrates the cyclical nature of art, and how inspiration works, with Don describing to me how he writes music from nature, then me putting it into words, then Don writing music based on what I wrote, then my ASM friend and Hannah interpreting his score. It’s pure magic. And having Atlantic String Machine do the world premiere here is a dream come true.”

Tickets can be purchased through Eventbrite, or at the door.

Register on Eventbrite

Media contact:
Anna MacDonald
Communications Officer
Marketing and Communications, University of Prince Edward Island
amacdonald@upei.ca | (902)-566-0949

Master of Arts in Island Studies Thesis Defence: Fiona Steele  

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MAIS Thesis Defence: Fiona Steele
“When stories lead to sustainable tourism – the role podcasting plays in the development of sustainable tourism on islands.”

Wednesday, April 26, 4-6 p.m. ADT on Zoom  

Please join us on a round-the-world thesis defence by MAIS student Fiona Steele. Entitled “When stories lead to sustainable tourism – the role podcasting plays in the development of sustainable tourism on islands.”

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Master of Arts in Island Studies Thesis Defence: Fiona Steele  

Wednesday, April 26, 4-6 p.m. ADT on Zoom  

Please join us on a round-the-world thesis defence by MAIS student Fiona Steele, entitled “When stories lead to sustainable tourism – the role podcasting plays in the development of sustainable tourism on islands.”

The thesis is co-supervised by Drs. Susan Graham (Business) and Laurie Brinklow (Island Studies), with UPEI Adjunct Graduate Faculty member Dr. Andrew Jennings (University of the Highlands and Islands) serving on the committee. Dr. Valia Papoutsaki from New Zealand will serve as External Examiner, and Dr. Jean Mitchell (Sociology/Anthropology) will chair.

To receive the Zoom link, please contact Dr. Laurie Brinklow. Everyone is welcome! 

Event contact:
Laurie Brinklow,
Institute of Island Studies, UPEI
Brinklow@UPEI.ca

EVENTS | PAST EVENTS | ISLAND LECTURE SERIES

Island Lecture Series: Dr. Irené Novaczek 

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March 21st, 7pm
Faculty Lounge SDU Main Building, UPEI

Join us March 21st for an Island Lecture from marine ecologist Dr. Irené Novaczek on the Ecosystem Restoration Project at Basin Head. 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 will focus 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.

Click here for more information

Island Lecture Series: Dr. Irené Novaczek 

March 21st, 7pm
Faculty Lounge SDU Main Building, UPEI

Join us March 21st for an Island Lecture from marine ecologist Dr. Irené Novaczek on the Ecosystem Restoration Project at Basin Head. 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 will focus 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.

ISLAND LECTURE SERIES | JANUARY 2023

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Island Lecture Series: Towards Energy Sovereignty on Labrador’s Remote Island of Ponds
Dr. Nick Mercer
Tuesday, January 24th, 2023 · 7:00pm AST (UTC-4)
Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI

(Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies · January 24th, 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. The presentation will focus on an 8+ year community-based research partnership between Dr. Nick Mercer, the NunatuKavut Community Council’s Department of Research, Education, and Culture, and the NunatuKavut Inuit community of Black Tickle, located on the subarctic tundra Island of Ponds, in southern Labrador. The research focuses on identifying and addressing community needs, integrating local knowledge and sustainability values, and mobilizing community-led initiatives to enhance island energy resilience.

Click here for more details

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ISLAND LECTURE SERIES | JANUARY 2023

Island Lecture Series: Towards Energy Sovereignty on Labrador’s Remote Island of Ponds
Dr. Nick Mercer
Tuesday, January 24th, 20 · 7:00pm AST (UTC-4)
Faculty Lounge, SDU Main Building, UPEI

(Hosted by the Institute of Island Studies · January 24th, 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. The presentation will focus on an 8+ year community-based research partnership between Dr. Nick Mercer, the NunatuKavut Community Council’s Department of Research, Education, and Culture, and the NunatuKavut Inuit community of Black Tickle, located on the subarctic tundra Island of Ponds, in southern Labrador. The research focuses on identifying and addressing community needs, integrating local knowledge and sustainability values, and mobilizing community-led initiatives to enhance island energy resilience.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Dr. Nick Mercer is a recently appointed professor within UPEI’s Master of Island Studies [Sustainable Islands Specialization] and Environmental Studies programs. Prior to joining the UPEI community, Dr. Mercer held a SSHRC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship within Dalhousie University’s School for Resource and Environmental Studies. In this role, Dr. Mercer studied questions of energy justice in isolated northern communities, examining how [or if] communities have participated in energy-related decision-making, and how [or if] communities have benefitted from development. Dr. Mercer has a long research relationship with remote and island communities, having conducted almost a decade of partnership research with the Island of Ponds in Labrador, on issues ranging from participatory energy planning, to water security, to gendered dimensions of resource access. Dr. Mercer serves as one of eight appointees to the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s Net Zero Advisory Committee and is a vocal advocate for community-led clean energy policy and practice.