“Navigating Island Futures: Intersections of Heritage, Transitions, and Regenerative Practices”

Date: 25–28 June 2026 

Venue: Leyte Samar Heritage Center, University of the Philippines Tacloban, Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines 

Organizers: University of the Philippines Tacloban and the Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI)

The University of the Philippines Tacloban and Small Island Cultures Research Initiative (SICRI) are hosting the Island Studies International Conference (ISIC) 2026 on 25–28 June 2026 at the Leyte Samar Heritage Center, UP Tacloban. 

Held for the first time in an archipelagic nation at the heart of the Pacific, ISIC this year carries the theme “Navigating Island Futures: Intersections of Heritage, Transitions, and Regenerative Practices.”

Over 50 scholars, community practitioners, policymakers, and development partners from 15 countries across the Asia-Pacific, the Caribbean, Europe, the Americas, and beyond are convening to exchange perspectives on island heritage, cultural identity, ecological stewardship, sustainable livelihoods, governance, mobility, resilience, and regenerative futures. Particular attention is given to the experiences and knowledge systems of island communities, foregrounding Philippine and Southeast Asian scholarship within the growing global field of island and archipelagic studies.

Conference Subthemes and Panel Topics

Theoretical and Conceptual Frameworks in Island Studies • Reclaiming and Reimagining Island Heritage • Climate Adaptation and Island Ecological Stewardship • Island Migration, Mobility, and Identity in Transition • Education, Youth, and Intergenerational Island Futures • Island Heritage for the Future: Between UNESCO Frameworks and Local Realities • Governance, Justice, and Participatory Development on Small Islands • Regenerative Livelihoods and Blue Economies in Small Islands

Programme Highlights

The three-day programme features a roundtable discussion on post-Haiyan development in the Leyte-Samar islands, 11 academic panels with presenters joining on-site and online, a creative workshop titled “From My Shore to Your Shore,” and a conference dinner with a cultural performance by the UP An Balangaw Performing Arts Group. The conference closes with the New Voice in Island Studies Presentations Awards recognizing emerging scholars in the field.

For updates, visit facebook.com/SICRI and https://www.sicri.net/ISIC2026.

 #ISIC2026