Philip Hayward’s article introduces the concept of the aquapelago as an expansion of the term archipelago. He argues that the spaces between and around islands, the marine environments, are fundamentally interconnected with island societies. The aquapelagic framework highlights how communities use, navigate, and inhabit both land and sea as a single social and cultural space. Drawing on examples from Oceania, Indonesia, Japan, and the Torres Strait, Hayward shows how aquapelagic assemblages are historically and culturally produced. His work calls for Island Studies to adopt more holistic approaches that integrate terrestrial and marine dimensions of human life.

Hayward, Philip. 2012. “Aquapelagos and Aquapelagic Assemblages. Towards an integrated study of island societies and marine environments.” Shima: International Journal of Research into Island Cultures 6(1): 1-11.