I’m having a down day. Not helping is this (extremely informative but also depressing) piece from The Atlantic, The Four Possible Timelines for Life Returning to Normal. I’m extremely privileged/blessed/lucky to have financial security right now, something I know is not certain for many, many people. Acknowledging that, this has disrupted my work in a way that is very specific to me (and other people doing research similar to mine, I imagine). Specifically, a lot of my research proposal hinges on cosplay being a blended affinity space, where fellow travelers/affines meet both in person and online. In particular, they have historically met at fan conventions. The experts in that Atlantic piece - a public health expert and an epidemiologist - suggest that large gatherings - including conventions - are probably off the table for a long time. Likely at least four months, maybe as much as a year or more.
I had hoped to finish data collection by August.
This doesn’t wreck my dissertation by any means, but it means a pretty thorough rethinking of my argument for the research’s unique contribution and value.