Monash scholars visit for “Islands and Empire” project

Published on 23.7.25

On 21-22 July, three scholars from Monash University visited the University of Warwick as part of their ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration, “Islands and Empires: Island Agency in Inter-Imperial Ordering.” The project is supported by the Monash Warwick Alliance.

The project seeks to better understand diverse manifestations of empire and their effects on island populations. Recently, scholars have dedicated attention to the relationship between islands and empire in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the Caribbean Sea. Islands feature in accounts of strategic competition, and of how international law was hashed out among imperial interests. Several studies have pointed to the agency of island polities in these rivalries.

The project interrogates the connected histories and agencies of island polities. Its primary objective is to explore the application of comparative and interconnected lenses to the histories of empires and islands in the Caribbean and the Southern, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Our initial hypothesis is that residents of islands were not just victims of imperial expansion; nor were imperial centres the only interested actors. During the visit, Monash and Warwick scholars began testing these propositions while laying the foundation for expanded empirical research, grant applications, publications, and engagement.

The visit also provided many opportunities for Warwick and Monash scholars to build connections beyond the project, and to expand connections from other Alliance collaborations. This included an opportunity to try out a new, historically informed tabletop board game, “Tide of Freedom” that is being developed by Professor David Lambert (History) and Rohit Harap (Design Studies). Initial support for that project came from the Monash-Warwick Alliance Education Activation Fund.

The Monash team included Professor Jack Corbett (Professor and Head of Social Sciences), Dr Susan Carland (Senior Lecturer, Sociology), and Dr Nicholas Ferns (Research Fellow, History). They met with Warwick colleagues from Politics and International Studies, History, and Global Sustainable Development. On the Warwick side, the project is led by Professor Tom Long (PAIS), with support from PAIS colleagues Professor Ben Richardson, Dr Shonali Banerjee, Thais Doria, and head of department Professor Matthew Clayton. Dr Elizabeth Chant of GSD is also contributing to project development. The Warwick Global History and Culture Centre has supported the collaboration, including current and incoming directors, Dr Guido van Meersbergen and Dr Pierre Purseigle, Dr Anca Cretu, and Professor David Lambert.