Anatomy of Islands – Centre for Research and Development
The founders and members of the Anatomy of Islands Association – Centre for Research and Development came together to develop and connect knowledge about life on the islands and to apply that knowledge in projects that benefit island communities. The association was founded in March 2014, with its registered office on the island of Vis and a branch office in Zagreb, as the successor to the activities carried out by the “Anatomy of Islands” section of the “Lavurat za poje” association from Podšpilje on the island of Vis.
The association therefore continues to run the “Anatomy of Islands 2012–2016” programme of symposia and workshops, while also designing and implementing new island development projects.
The Anatomy of Islands Association – Centre for Research and Development is a scientific association and the only island association in Croatia that brings together scientists/nissologists and whose scientific interest is centred on island issues. The association’s mission is the scientific study of island phenomena, the promotion of island development and the involvement of the wider island population in managing island development. Over the last thirty or so years, nissology has taken shape as an inter- and multidisciplinary scientific discipline that examines the many different aspects of island life.
Croatia has no formal educational or research institution dedicated to islands, of the kind found in other countries whose territory is partly or wholly insular (Greece, Malta, the Caribbean states, Indonesia, Japan, etc.), so scientists who study islands within their own disciplines, a steadily growing group, are scattered across numerous universities and research institutes. The mission of the Anatomy of Islands scientific association is to bring together and connect scientists/nissologists, to combine their interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary insights, and to ensure ongoing contact between scientists and experts and the local community, which needs specific knowledge to design and implement its projects.
Anatomy of Islands held its first five-year cycle of island-themed symposia and workshops on the island of Vis from 2012 to 2016. In 2017, Anatomy of Islands moved to Lastovo, where it remained for the next five years. From 2023, the programme of workshops and symposia will take place on the island of Hvar. The Anatomy of Islands Association – Centre for Research and Development from the island of Vis drew up the five-year programmes entitled “Anatomy of Islands – Vis 2012–2016” and “Anatomy of Islands – Lastovo 2018–2022”, and through symposia and student workshops sought to bring to public attention the possibilities for rehabilitating and restoring beautiful but unused buildings and agricultural land. This effort was recognised by the professional community, and the association received the most prestigious professional award presented by the Zagreb Society of Architects – the ARTUR 2016 award (Architecture–Tourism). Anatomy of Islands encouraged cooperation between the two municipalities on the island of Vis with the aim of developing the Vis Geopark project, which has since been realised.
From the first Anatomy of Islands symposium on Vis in 2012 to the 10th, anniversary edition on Lastovo in 2022, Anatomy of Islands pursued its mission in a variety of ways. We encouraged theoretical and applied discussions ranging from responsible tourism, the future of villages and native crops, through island demography, the impact of climate change, island architecture, insular economics and island development policy, to the concepts and realisation of sustainable and smart islands. At the symposia on Vis and Lastovo, Croatian students were joined by students from Slovenia, Italy, France and Japan. After attending selected lectures, they developed seminar projects on island themes and presented them to the symposium participants.
The project “Anatomy of Islands – Knowledge in the Service of the Community 2023–2027” brings together and connects interdisciplinary scientists and, through its activities, ensures their continuous cooperation with local stakeholders in island development who need specific knowledge to carry out their projects. The project addresses topics defined by the association’s five-year work plan through the organisation of annual symposia on the island of Hvar until 2027: Mediterranean Diet (2023), Island Population and Demographic Development Policies (2024), Island Space amid Climate Change and Environmental Transformations (2025), Island Heritage with an Emphasis on Pilgrimages (2026) and Maritime Island Heritage (2027).
The overall objective of the project “Anatomy of Islands – Knowledge in the Service of the Community” is to strengthen the educational capacity of experts and island development stakeholders in Croatia to the point where they can develop and implement concrete educational, social and economic development projects through cooperation between experts and island development stakeholders.
Through its programme of activities, the Anatomy of Islands Association – Centre for Research and Development follows and promotes the fundamental principles of the “Programme for the Development of Civil Society on the Islands 2021–2027”. The main aim in founding the association was to create an international platform for island research and development as an active participant in affirming life on the islands, which entails building long-term partnerships with various co-organisers. Among the scientific co-organisers of Anatomy of Islands, we would highlight the Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research; the Department of Ethnology and Anthropology, University of Zadar; and the Institute for Migration Research.
The Anatomy of Islands symposium is held every year at the end of September, and the members of the organising and scientific committees, who are responsible for its organisation and delivery, are elected at the association’s annual general meeting.
President of the association: Dr Marina Blagaić Bergman, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore Research, Zagreb
Vice-President of the association: Josipa Slaviček, MArch, Anatomy of Islands, Jelsa
