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Key research themes
1. How do artificial islands impact coastal and marine spatial planning and governance frameworks?
This research theme addresses the legal, governance, and planning challenges posed by the creation and use of artificial and floating islands. It examines how existing maritime, urban, and property laws apply or fail to apply to these novel forms of territorial extension, particularly within exclusive economic zones (EEZs). The theme is critical as artificial islands blur traditional boundaries between land and sea, raising questions about jurisdiction, spatial allocation of marine resources, and integrated governance necessary for sustainable co-use of maritime spaces.
Key finding: This paper defines artificial floating islands as modular, multi-use floaters moored to the seabed and highlights critical governance issues such as the assignment of authority, building codes, maritime law, property rights,... Read more
Key finding: This study investigates multifunctional artificial reefs (MFARs) as innovative soft-engineering solutions for coastal protection while enhancing marine amenities. It emphasizes site-specific parameters — local bathymetry,... Read more
Key finding: This work demonstrates through remote sensing and GIS analyses how large-scale land reclamation in the UAE has transformed coastal zones to support urban and infrastructure development. It highlights the diverse drivers —... Read more
Key finding: Proposing the construction of artificial islands off Gaza’s coast as an alternative to forced relocation, this paper argues that such islands can serve as multipurpose spaces fostering housing, farmland, and recreation. The... Read more
2. What are the ecological, social, and economic implications of island land reclamation and atoll engineering on small island states?
This theme focuses on the human-driven transformation of island landscapes through land reclamation, dredging, coral and sand mining, and artificial island creation. It scrutinizes historical trajectories and contemporary practices of ‘atoll engineering’ in small island contexts, highlighting their effects on marine and terrestrial ecosystems, local communities, and developmental priorities. Understanding these implications is vital for reconciling infrastructure expansion and economic growth with the ecological and cultural sensitivities of vulnerable island environments.
Key finding: Through a four-century historical lens, this ethnographic study shows how Maldivian society’s priorities have shifted from subsistence and colonial interests to modern developmental agendas including tourism and urban... Read more
Key finding: This study quantifies the rapid urban expansion through coastal land reclamation in the UAE, uncovering significant environmental impacts such as geomorphic alterations and increased coastal vulnerability. It stresses the... Read more
Key finding: The paper develops adaptation pathways for low-lying atoll nations, integrating land reclamation and island raising to maintain habitable land above sea level over centuries. Using the Maldives as a case, it shows how urban... Read more
3. How is the concept of islandness understood and expressed through cultural, social, and political contexts?
This theme delves into 'islandness'—the multifaceted ways islands are conceptualized, experienced, and represented. It spans interdisciplinary insights on island identity, social constructions, and postcolonial critiques, highlighting the tensions between stereotypical notions of insularity and lived realities. The theme includes explorations of displacement, coloniality, island imaginaries, and expressions in arts and literature. Its significance lies in fostering nuanced understandings of island-specific sociopolitical dynamics that shape island communities and their self-perceptions.
Key finding: This article identifies multiple contested meanings of islandness emphasizing its subjective and contextual nature. It distinguishes islandness as smallness (relational and worldview-dependent), as culture (identity... Read more
Key finding: The article foregrounds decolonial approaches in island studies, situating islands within transoceanic histories of colonialism and emphasizing Indigenous-centered methodologies. It critiques dominant national narratives,... Read more
Key finding: Using Imbros as a case study, this article reconceptualizes displacement not merely as rupture but an entanglement of displacement, emplacement, and return shaped by political, social, and spatial processes. It employs... Read more
Key finding: This paper traces the historical evolution of island representations in Western literature and visual culture, highlighting persistent motifs such as exoticism, otherness, and paradisal idealization of tropical islands... Read more