Meet Sigfus, whose comparative work on Newfoundland and Iceland back in the 1980s and 1990s was the core of so much that becomes an Island Studies mindset today. Hear about his more recent comparative work on Malta and Iceland, which follows from the connections between island scholars from not just Malta but also Prince Edward Island. Yes, that’s two different doctoral degrees (but we never know whether to say doctor doctor, or doctor squared).
Sifgus and Laurie met this October in a place where Sigfus worked about 50 years ago. And he did go looking to see what’s changed over the half-century, so you’ll learn a fair bit about Iceland when you listen to this conversation too. But maybe it’s fairer to say that you’ll learn in a way that’s only possible when someone puts comparative Island Studies in perspective of history.
There is so much in this conversation that some of us have never thought about. So we’ve split it into a two-part podcast, to give us some time to absorb what is said in this part. Stay tuned next week for more from Sigfus and Laurie about…well, let’s just say the conversation takes a turn towards that ever-ephemeral yet so real experience of Islandness.
all that hides in our misty beginnings