'... some distance to go': A critical survey of Island Studies

The debut issue of Shima: The International Journal of Research into Island Cultures, launched in 2007, points to the need for more rigorous and sustained scrutiny of the "foundational assumptions" of the organised study of islands. The editorial states: "Over the past two decades islands have been subject to an increasing amount of research and, to a lesser extend, theorisation." This article seeks to address this imbalance by attempting a critical survey of island studies scholarship; in particular it focuses on ideas about literature which hold sway in the field and undermine claims to genuine and generous interdisciplinarity.