Island studies have seen an upswing in recent years. Whereas in the past, research was largely oriented at external perspectives and perceptions, at present we witness an increasing interest in viewpoints internal to the island societies examined (with an ‘inside-out’ approach). This volume contributes to such efforts with transdisciplinary and methodological reflections from the fields of archaeology, ethnology, geography, history, philology, and literary studies. Focused on the interplay between geographic isolation and commercial as well as cultural connection, the studies here assembled investigate the role of the knowledge, resources, and practices of islanders in processes of crisis management, identity formation and transformation.