New book examines the environmental history of Prince Edward Island
UPEI’s Island Studies Press will mark two firsts with its book launch on Wednesday, July 13, 7 pm, at Upstreet Craft Brewery on Allen Street in Charlottetown. Time and a Place: An Environmental History of PEI is the first environmental history of Prince Edward Island and the first such history of any Canadian province. Everyone is welcome to attend the gala event.
Time and a Place tracks Prince Edward Island’s changes from the Ice Age to the Information Age. Its 12 essays explore the people’s interactions with the Island’s marine and terrestrial environment from its prehistory to its recent past. Beginning with PEI’s history as a blank slate–a land scraped by ice and then surrounded by rising seas–this mosaic of essays documents the arrival of flora, fauna, and humans, and the different ways these inhabitants have lived in this place over time.
“The chapters complement and build on each other,” says Matthew Hatvany of Université Laval. “Time and a Place will undoubtedly put PEI on the map of Canadian environmental history and will be used as a model for other regions that as yet have nothing of the kind to compare with it.”
With its long and well-documented history, Prince Edward Island is a compelling case study for thousands of years of human interaction with a specific ecosystem. The pastoral landscapes, red sandstone cliffs, and small fishing villages of Canada’s “garden province” are appealing because they appear timeless, but they are constructed as much by culture as by the ebb and flow of the tides.
Time and a Place is edited by three Island scholars, historians Edward MacDonald of UPEI and Joshua MacFadyen of Arizona State University, and marine biologist Irene Novaczek. One of the book’s strengths is the diversity among its 15 contributors, whose disciplines range from environmental history and archaeology to geography, biology, and island studies. The book is co-published by Island Studies Press and McGill-Queens University Press. At 416 pages with 60 black and white images, it is available in both soft- and hard-cover editions at bookstores across the Island.
For more detail on the book, see “Recent Titles” at upei.ca/isp, or contact Joan Sinclair at Island Studies Press, ispstaff@upei.ca
The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact, and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
