Policing and Justice in Island Communities

Abstract

Research focusing on policing and the justice systems from an island perspective is available, but extremely rare. Additionally, available research on policing and justice systems in island contexts is usually conducted by non-island scholars using a limited frame of reference on ‘islandness’. It is, however, academically imprecise and improper to universalise scholarship from countries with large land masses onto islands with unique topographies and challenges. This thematic section highlights the inherent qualities of policing and justice systems in island communities by engaging with the existing body of island studies literature and through theoretically informed and methodologically appropriate research conducted by scholars at a mix of career levels. The authors in this thematic section present their scholarly efforts from diverse perspectives and contribute to decolonization efforts in island studies. Ultimately, the articles call for a move away from colonial epistemology and hegemony in knowledge production. In sum, this thematic section contributes to the emergent body of literature on both policing and the justice systems and studies on island communities.