Islands Researcher

I am doubly delighted by this because this paper is about the area of my research closest to my heart – the way people maintain connections with ‘their’ islands while living elsewhere. The article mainly draws from the fantastic 505 usable responses I received to my Scottish Islands Diaspora Survey at the end of 2022 which means that, quite literally, I could not have done it without the generosity of my fellow islanders. (Thank you!)

In the article my co-authors and I challenge the narrative about island depopulation which tends to stop at the point where people leave, as though they are lost forever. Instead we look at the way folk can and do continue to contribute to their communities at a distance.

In doing so we draw on research by others, such as Ahia and Johnson’s work looking at the Hawaiian diaspora which argues that mobility and movement are part of many cultures and that there are benefits in drawing the diaspora back into our notion of community, including increasing community capacity.

The results of the survey show that those with connections to Scotland’s islands are already taking part in activity that supports their island communities – from helping out at events and fundraising, to being part of committees and responding to consultations. Many islanders already know that this happens but, to the best of our knowledge, this has not previously been mapped in a way to allow others to understand the way our communities work.

From Peat & Diesel to the Park Bar

I am also incredibly pleased to have been able to use survey data to illustrate how people remain connected to their islands in other ways – from Island Gatherings to Peat and Diesel Gigs, from the Park Bar to island sports teams. It’s a privilege to bring this area to the attention of a wider audience and to challenge misconceptions that those from the west coast and the Northern Isles don’t mix (spoiler alert – we have a lot of common ground, both philosophically and in terms of the places we frequent).

For those not in the know (such a myself 3 years ago) publishing in a peer-reviewed journal is a really important part of getting your research out there. There are lots of hoops to jump through to ensure that the work you are presenting says something new and interesting, that it clearly develops the field you are publishing in, and that the research and analysis has been carried out in a robust and ethical manner. While this takes time, it means your research has been rubberstamped by other folk who know their stuff, and are not afraid to challenge you if they think you are lacking.

In this strange world of academia, you often have to pay to publish your work *and* pay to access work published by others, However, I am delighted and proud that my first ever paper has been published in Shima – the highly-regarded free-to-publish and free-to-access journal focussing on Island studies. So – if you want to find out more about what I did with all those survey responses and discover more about the Scottish Islands diaspora you are welcome to check out Uncovering Attributes of an Internal Islands Diaspora: Connections and Aspirations to Return.

Thanks to my supervisors and co-authors Lorna J. Philip, Ruth Wilson, Paula M. Duffy, and Margaret Wilson, and also to the Macaulay Development Trust for funding my research.