elanya

I finished writing the conclusion to my dissertation today, and have outlined my introduction. I'm sort of flailing about how to start, but right now, my opening lines is: "The ocean is awesome."

Maybe if I can keep going, I can even finish this off this weekend? Then I just need to make sure all my references are in place, and put my figures in to chapter 5. Then I need a table of contents, at least, and I'll be happy to send the bulk of it to Kevin and start getting my appendices in shape.

ETA: So, here is my opening paragraph, then! (*tweak tweak*)

The ocean is awesome. It is difficult to imagine living close to it, relying on it for food, communication, work, and travel, without it impacting one's understanding of the world and one's own place in it. Individuals who are part of maritime communities share the experience of this influential presence in their lives. The ocean provides a basis for contextualizing not only their identities as individuals but as members of a coherent group. The identification of a community with the maritime environment is maritimity, and this identification is evident in the archaeological record.