Call for Submissions: Book chapters in The Bridge Effect: Critical Reflections in the Age of Technological Solutionism

In 2007, Godfrey Baldacchino’s edited collection, Bridging Islands, was published, consisting of examples of bridges and tunnels from North America, Europe, the British Isles, and Singapore and focusing on the general sociocultural, economic, and political impacts of those bridges on their islands. The book set the stage for the debate as to how a permanent link between island and mainland might change people’s sense of identity: do islanders, once they are linked, still feel like islanders?
In the 13 years since its publication, more bridges and tunnels have been proposed and more permanent structures have been built―but there has been little or no study done on their impacts. 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. And not all bridges are physical. In recent years, access to broadband is allowing islanders to be part of the global world but still make a living on their islands. In the case of Saint Helena, a new airport has finally allowed “Saints” timely access to the rest of the world.
This edited volume will consist of examples of bridged islands―both physical and metaphorical―from around the globe. From economic effects―positive AND negative―resulting from a link, to how islanders feel about themselves as islanders once they’ve been joined to a mainland or another island, we wish to explore if and how “islandness” or island living―and, ultimately, island identity―has changed on these small islands.
We invite scholars―established and emerging―to submit a proposal (a 250-word abstract) for a chapter. The abstract deadline is May 31, 2020. For additional information, or to run an idea past us, please contact Dr. Laurie Brinklow at brinklow@upei.ca and/or Dr. Andrew Jennings at Andrew.Jennings@uhi.ac.uk.