Abstract
There are various ways in which one can approach the study of water from an ‘island studies’ perspective. There are myriad methodologies that allow us to connect with water: and this book is itself testimony to this epistemological richness and diversity. In this brief essay, I will highlight two, extreme interpretations of the role of the sea and the ocean. In their own contrasting ways, their insights illuminate the myriad interconnectivities that Homo sapiens have with the sea. These bonds become deeper and more intimate when dealing with islands and islanders. Moreover, as we progress towards smaller and smaller islands, the role of the sea becomes more salient. In small islands, life is dictated and determined by the ferry schedule. What goes on aboard ferries, and during that ever necessary downtime when one must wait to board, is an integral part of small island life: ferry tales, indeed (Vannini, 2012).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Ahedor, J. (2021, September 24). West Africa is sinking. Earth.Org. https://earth.org/sea-level-rise-west-africa-is-sinking/
Baldacchino, G. (2015). There is so much more to sea: The myriad aquatic engagements of humankind. Etnofoor, 27(2), 179–184.
Flanagan, R. (2001). Gould’s book of fish: A story in twelve fish. Grove Press.
Fletcher, L. (2011). ‘... some distance to go’: A critical survey of Island Studies [Paper in special issue: The literature of postcolonial islands. DeLoughrey, Elizabeth (Ed.).]. New Literatures Review (47–48), 17–34.
Hay, P. (2013). What the sea portends: A reconsideration of contested island tropes. Island Studies Journal, 8(2), 209–232.
Hemingway, E. (1952). The old man and the sea. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Sherman, D. R. (1966). Brothers of the sea. Little, Brown & Co.
Vannini, P. (2012). Ferry tales: Mobility, place, and time on Canada’s west coast. Routledge.
Filmography
The Old Man and the Sea. (1958). Directed by John Sturges.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Baldacchino, G. (2022). Islands and the Sea. In: Boswell, R., O’Kane, D., Hills, J. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Blue Heritage. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99347-4_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99347-4_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-99346-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-99347-4
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)