Journal of Marine and Island Cultures

Island Blue Spaces: A Deeper Exploration

Nicole Kras, Dr. Jennifer Keenan — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Preliminary research has shown that blue spaces provide many benefits to health and well-being. In response to the call for a deeper investigation into this area of inquiry, the current study seeks input from those (N=37) who live on islands in the Northeast region of the United States. Previous findings about the significance of having access to nature, identifying it as a favorite part and most influential reason for living on an island, were reaffirmed. Distinctions between island and mainland life were highlighted, emphasizing the importance of community. This study also brought to light participants’ grave concerns about issues such as housing costs, overdevelopment of the island, and the impact of tourism, providing a multifaceted view of life in an island blue space. It is hoped that these findings contribute to a deeper understanding of living in a blue space that can be applied to both island and non-island populations.

De-Islanding

Philip Hayward — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The effects of securing islands to mainlands or other islands via fixed links have been discussed in Island Studies for some time. Debate has often concerned the extent to which islands are ‘de-islanded’ by various forms of links; whether any forms of island (ish) identity persist in such locations and – if so – whether these effect the perception, management and administration of these locales. A British colony was established on Indigenous land in (what is now known as) Sydney Harbour in 1788 and colonists began modifying various islands soon after. While there is one bridged island in Sydney Harbour (Rocky Point), the most dramatic alteration of islands has involved the infilling of tidal flats. Following an overview of the various islands of Sydney Harbour, the article examines the historical development of five islands that have been firmly affixed to the Harbour’s shores by infilling and now comprise peninsulas: Bennelong, Berry, Darling, Garden and Glebe. The article examines the nature of development of the former island sites, public and policy issues concerning their use and development and the differing nature of residual island(ish) identities accruing to the sites.

Whaling in Brazil and its historical iconography

Fabiana Comerlato — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The objective of this study is to analyze iconographies that show the whaling in the Brazilian Colony, dates back to the sixteenth century and had socioeconomic importance in the formation and implementation of people in the cost. This extractivist activity that involved the settlement of large cetaceans was a common scene in coastal areas, such as the Guanabara and Todos os Santos Bays, and Santa Catarina Inlets. In these visual documents we identified the main characteristics of whaling in Brazil: proximity to the coast, slave labor, specialization of work at sea, techniques of capture and processing, and the boats launched in the calm waters of the bays. The whaling iconography produced in Brazil have common elements, recognizable in the redundancy of certain visual arrangements: the chase, the harpooning, the towing, the shredding, the melting, and the storage. The most representative image of fishing is the dramatic moment in which man and animal meet since, in the Basque tradition, being close was paramount.

Creative Battle Space: The Sea in Indonesian Newspaper Short Stories

Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

The sea has always been a source of inspiration in literature. The sea becomes a creative battleground in literature because it depicts human life full of challenges, difficulties, hopes, and adventures. In literature, the sea becomes a metaphor that helps reveal human life's complexity by showing life's beauty and ferocity. This study aims to advance existing studies to identify unique concepts, ideologies, or discourses relating to the ocean that are hidden in 25 short stories from 2010 to 2021 in Indonesian newspapers. Using an interactive interpretation method, all short stories are analyzed through content analysis techniques to reveal the various creative battle spaces. Through a mixed methods study with a critical approach, this research found four creative battle spaces with their respective subspaces, namely: (1) economic battle space with capitalist and impact of capitalism subspace; (2) moral battle space with action crime and power struggle subspace; (3) inner battle space with serenity, sorrow relief, the battle between reality and desire, and the battle of life subspace; and (4) surrealism idea battle space with the meeting space of two worlds, the endless search, surrealism-economics, and spirituality and imagery subspace.

Revitalizing Island Tourism in the Digital Transformation Era

Hyun-Chul Kang, Woo-Yeul Baek, Jae-Yong Choi, Jong-Sung Kim — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

This research aims to employ the focus group interview methodology to extract important insights and policy recommendations for the revitalization of tourism in island regions during the era of significant digital transformation. To achieve this objective, the current study focuses on Jebudo Island, located in Hwaseong-city, Gyeonggi province, as a representative case area and utilizes the findings obtained to identify practical and efficacious viewpoints. The ensuing report highlights the paramount importance and policy recommendations extracted via a focus group interview technique. Initially, considering the prospect of being established as a tourism hub, Jebudo Island has persistently engaged in development and business promotions. However, the island continues to be characterized by an aging tourist destination, emphasizing private facilities, which does not align with the current tourism trend. In light of the ongoing digital transformation, it is imperative that Jebudo Island utilizes its local resources efficiently while adhering to contemporary tourism trends by implementing relevant technologies appropriately. Another noteworthy policy recommendation pertains to the underdevelopment of Jebudo Island, given its remarkable geographical conditions and regional resources. Conventionally, tourism activities were confined to sightseeing, primarily highlighting hardware and natural landscapes. However, recently, such activities have shifted towards experiences and emotions, emphasizing content and engagement. Consequently, the need to develop content using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, metaverse, and ChatGPT is essential to enhance national awareness. Finally, concerning the island's placeness strategy in conjunction with digital transformation, islands face a daunting challenge of regional extinction, with a more severe decline in population than that of mainland areas. Despite various policy measures to address this issue, no effective exit strategy has emerged thus far. Therefore, it is imperative to devise a strategy centered on the sense of place that aligns with regional characteristics. In particular, engaging the MZ generation, which values novel social values and actively utilizes social media and the internet, could lead to broader engagement across other generations. Moreover, in the process of revitalizing island tourism during the digital transformation era, various stakeholders are intricately interconnected. Hence, it is crucial to utilize different platforms and establish cooperative governance. Furthermore, to create a functional ecosystem, it is crucial to institute policies such as island business schools, forums, and full-time operating organizations to enhance expertise and commercial viability, while fostering sustainable strategic discussions. Notwithstanding, considering that the present study solely examined the case of Jebudo Island in Hwaseong through the focus group interviews in the era of significant digital transformation, it remains uncertain whether the findings can be uniformly applied and extrapolated to other islands. Consequently, further studies are essential to enhance objectivity and empirical validity by broadening the scope of case areas and incorporating stakeholder surveys.

Joint production and multifunctionality in agriculture: Case studies of small farms on the island of Sicily

Filippo Sgroi — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Starting in the 1970s, agriculture in Western countries began to progressively lose the critical success factors on which it based its competitive advantage, which was localization. The development of both the food industry and organized distribution, the intensification of trade, and the speed of information transfer led to new needs and new scenarios within which new agricultural systems emerged. This research analyzed the changes imposed on the agricultural system by the economic development process and determined the trajectories taken by some agricultural entrepreneurs. The study shows that those agricultural entrepreneurs who have been able to adapt their business strategy to the new production scenarios that have emerged remain competitive in the market, while those who have been passively affected by economic development have resulted in agriculture that in many ways only manages to survive thanks to the contribution of the Common Agricultural Policy and without which it would be ousted from the market.

People and Mangroves: Biocultural Utilization of Mangrove Forest Ecosystem in Southeast Asia

Dr. Dave Buenavista, Professor/Dr. Hery Purnobasuki — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Mangroves provide diverse benefits for various coastal communities in Southeast Asia. Unfortunately, the same region exhibits the highest global rates of mangrove loss. Whilst studies exploring its value as a biocultural refugia remain lacking, the associated biocultural uses of mangroves are likewise under threat. Using the PRISMA approach, 33 studies passed the eligibility and screening process. The majority of biocultural studies were from Indonesia (60%), Malaysia (9%), Philippines (9%), and Thailand (9%) whilst the least were from Myanmar (6%), Vietnam (3%), and Timor-Leste (3%). We identified seven biocultural lenses for Southeast Asian mangroves; food source, cultural and spiritual use, livelihood source, construction materials, fuelwood and charcoal, medicinal use, and fish poison and fishing material. As a biocultural refugia, management of mangroves are intimately intertwined with traditional practices which stemmed from cultural and spiritual importance of mangroves. However, many Asian cultures remain undocumented and understudied. We, therefore, recommend a more culture-sensitive approach in various community-based mangrove conservation projects that respectfully integrate the indigenous and local knowledge systems (ILKS) and practices. Studies relating to the biocultural values, both tangible and intangible benefits of mangroves, should be further explored to promote the sustainable utilization and conservation of the remaining mangroves in Southeast Asia.

Disclosure of mangrove conservation policies in SEA: Bibliometric content perspectives

Nugroho B. Susilo, Raldi Hendro Koestoer — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Due to damage since the 2010s, mangrove forests require conservation efforts, such as reforestation, business permits in coastal areas, rearrangement of coastal spatial planning, and law enforcement regulated by the government in environmental policies. In this study, we aimed to used bibliometric and in-depth content analyses to assess the evolution and knowledge of mangrove conservation policies in Southeast Asia (SEA) countries. This paper describes the policies for the restoration and conservation of mangrove policies in Asian countries and in Indonesia. Following bibliometric analysis, we extracted and analyzed a sample of 143 articles on mangrove conservation policies in Asian countries from the Scopus database. The results showed that interest in the disclosure of mangrove restoration policies in Asian countries is growing. Globally, the regulations are similar between countries: the difference lies in the application of the rules. The mangroves in Indonesia are protected by 22 laws and are regulated by at least 18 institutions. Their administration in Thailand is governed by at least 20 laws and supervised by 7 ministries and departments. In the Philippines, 28 laws are related to the conservation of mangrove forests for cultivation. In addition, we discussed the main findings, deficiencies, and directions for future research.

Food and tourism: an exploratory analysis of dishes in Sicilian gastronomic culture

Filippo Sgroi — Sun, 03 Sep 2023 00:00:00 -0500

Culinary tourism has recently been gaining increasing attention in tourism practice and research. Meat production and consumption also play a significant role in the management and marketing of food tourism. This research explores the role of meat in two high-end restaurants located in the city of Partinico, an agricultural destination in the province of Palermo. The results show the meat identity of both restaurants and reveal how meat-based menus communicate a sense of place centered on local knowledge and the seasonal component of meat products.