An Introduction to Island Studies examines the key issues concerning islands today: tourism, economic change and development, geopolitics, climate change, epidemiology, and migration. This introductory textbook will help students and instructors develop a more comprehensive understanding and appreciation of island issues and the lessons they provide for our global society.

This book outlines the challenges surrounding the definition of the word "island," and demonstrates how popular images have shaped our understanding of islands, and even how islanders see themselves. Three central contradictions serve as the framework for discussion: islands as places of vulnerability and resilience, places of isolation and connectedness, and as sites of diversity and cohesion. In conclusion, this book offers insights on the future of islands, island peoples, and island studies as a burgeoning interdisciplinary field.