Islandness and Appreciating the Importance of the Rule of Law in a 21st Century Island Context: The Case of the Isle of Man

Abstract

Despite the vibrant and growing island studies scholarship exploring the unique characteristics of Islands and Islandness, which is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, there has been little research into the unique characteristics associated with the appreciation of the Rule of Law and island identity in an island context. Similarly, although within legal scholarship there has been much exploration at international, European, and national levels of the importance of appreciation of the Rule of Law and its role in helping to reduce the risk of arbitrariness, there has been little consideration in an island context of why the importance of the appreciation of the Rule of Law matters. Building upon both fields of scholarship, the present article uses the Isle of Man as a lens to explore, firstly, why the importance of the appreciation of the Rule of Law in an Island context matters from a legal perspective. Secondly, how exploring the unique characteristics associated with the appreciation of the Rule of Law in an island context provides a greater understanding of the uniqueness of island identity and islandness. The present article is therefore a novel contribution to legal scholarly literature and a timely addition to island study literature.