島嶼研究是一個跨學科領域，鼓勵人們以島嶼為本位的方式和角度進行研究。島嶼研究顛覆了我們習以為常的陸地中心進路、去除二元思維，藉關係來重新定義空間與距離，供我們另闢蹊徑地理解和發現島嶼。除了島嶼和大陸，島嶼研究更着重島嶼與島嶼之間的關係，以及水陸的互動。島嶼研究強調動態與聯繫，因而特別關注具型態的文化表述和物體所掩蓋之操演性實踐。因此，島嶼研究需要結集不同學科和行業的努力，包括但不限於人類學、人文學科、建築、生物、地理、生態學、技術與工程、政治學、社會學及城市規劃等，務求擴闊及深化人們對島嶼的認識。
從島嶼出發，但島嶼研究並不單止研究島嶼自身，更連帶開拓其他以水為中心的研究，與及從島嶼開始的各種人文及科學現象及知識。正因如此，本會以「網絡」作為組織方式，強調多邊與相互關係。「網絡」既提醒我們文化的相遇，正是從海路開始，亦要從不斷推移的中心累積成果。島嶼研究正是一趟沒有終點的旅程，織線成面、滾存成具有厚度的體積。
作為一個新興的研究領域，島嶼研究正在全球不同角落受到關注。香港河海交接，但自有記載以來，水資源始終被視為威脅而未被正視運用，更往往被大陸中心的敘述所掩蓋與被忽視。近年香港以至鄰近地區，有不少關於島嶼的實驗和嘗試，無論是策展、地方營造與及學術研究。為了使這些零星的努力得以累積和方便查尋，並引起公眾關注，我們認為現在正是時候成立相關組織，連結志同道合的朋友，延展島嶼研究的領域。
Island studies is an interdisciplinary field that encourages the study of islands on their own terms and perspectives. By reframing our habitual terrestrial approach to space and distance, island studies takes a relational and non-dualistic approach to rediscover and better understand islands. That includes the study of the mainland-island, as much as the island-to-island relationship and other dynamics between the land and the sea. Emphasizing movement and connections, island studies pays special attention to performative practices often over-shaded by tangible cultural expression or physical set-up. It calls for the collective effort from diverse academic disciplines and actual practices, including but not limited to anthropology, arts, architecture, biology, geography, ecology, technology & engineering, political science, sociology and urban planning, to create a better, broader and more profound understanding of islands.
Though departing from the island, island studies does not limit itself to studies of the island but is open to various kinds of investigation that grant water a central position, be it in humanistic or scientific knowledge and phenomena. For that reason, this organization takes the ‘network’ as its form and emphasizes multilateral and reciprocal relationships. ‘Network’ does not only remind us of encounters of cultures originating from maritime trajectories but also that any fruitful result can only be gathered from decentralization. Island studies is an itinerary without end that rolls into a volume (or globe) of thickness.
As an emerging field, island studies has attracted more and more attention from different corners of the world. As a place surrounded by water, Hong Kong’s watery environment has been treated as a problem instead of a resource historically and hidden by the dominant discourse on continental-centre narration. Recently, we have noticed a rising interest in islands in Hong Kong and the region. Be it curatorial and place-making experimentation or purely academic research, all are pointing to the need for a ‘network’ that can cater to the further development of the field, assist with access to information and respond to the curiosity of the general public. We consider it time to establish an organization to foster islanders, island lovers, island studies researchers and other like-minded friends exploring the possibility of island studies in Hong Kong.
#關係 #跨學科 #操演性 #以水為本 #網絡 #地方知識 #生活實踐
#Relational #Multi-disciplinary #Performativity #Centralityofwater #Network #Knowledge #Practices