International Island Studies Conference Brings Global Scholars to UP Tacloban

News

CAMPUS AND COMMUNITY

10 July 2026

Fifty island studies scholars from Canada, China, Germany, Japan, India, the Maldives, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the Philippines, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States participated in the Island Studies International Conference (ISIC) hosted by the University of the Philippines Tacloban, in partnership with the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI), on 25-27 June 2026 at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center.

The conference focused on the theme “Navigating Island Futures: Intersections of Heritage, Transitions, and Regenerative Practices.” Participants listened to and discussed 41 oral presentations in 11 panel discussions on climate adaptation and island ecological stewardship; education, youth, and intergenerational island futures; governance, justice, and participatory development on small islands; island migration, mobility, and identity in transition; reclaiming and reimagining island heritage; and regenerative livelihoods and blue economies in small islands.

At the closing program, SICRI Convenor Dr. Evangelia Papoutsaki presented the New Voices in Island Studies (NVIS) awards to Emily Linane (Creative and Artistic Contribution), Brian Salvador Baran (Outstanding Scholarly Contribution for “A Mooring System: Island Relations in the Bantayanon Lexicon and Morphology”), and Venusi Taumoepeau (Outstanding Scholarly Contribution for “Letting Culture Lead the Wave: Peau as a Pacific Creative Process”). Acting Chancellor of UP Tacloban Dr. Patricia Arinto joined Dr. Papoutsaki in presenting a certificate of appreciation to Dr. Glenda Tibe Bonifacio, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of Lakehead University in Canada, for being instrumental in the collaboration between SICRI and UP Tacloban for the hosting of ISIC 2026.

ISIC is an annual gathering that provides a platform for island studies scholars, researchers, and community practitioners to share research, perspectives, and emerging knowledge on islands and island communities. The conference advances interdisciplinary dialogue on island heritage, ecological stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, governance, and cultural identity across local and global contexts. Next year’s conference will be hosted by the Pacific Arts Center and Waiheke Island in Aotearoa, New Zealand.