ABSTRACT

This article seeks to demonstrate what a conjunctural analysis of the oceanic manifestation of COVID-19 might look like. While the ocean has seemingly remained on the periphery during the ongoing pandemic, the marine has nevertheless been deeply affected as a space of more-than-human connection. As we know, it was at a seafood market (The Huanan Seafood Market) that the first signs of the virus allegedly emerged – an event that propelled the circulation of disgust and racism that was to follow. I take three sites: Botany Bay, Sydney; the Ruby Princess cruise ship; and the effect of COVID-19 on fish supply chains and the lives and livelihoods of fishers especially in the global south. I draw on John Clarke’s argument that ‘tracing the different dynamics and forces that come together to constitute the conjuncture is a substantial challenge’, and Meaghan Morris’ call for site-specific thinking in cultural studies. This is, I argue, a time for messy digging in the swamp of the pandemic if we are to find thin threads of hope for our more-than-human world, and our discipline.

摘要

本文旨在证明对COVID-19的海洋表现进行合相分析可能会是什么样子。尽管在持续的大流行中海洋似乎仍留在外围，但海洋仍然受到深深的影响，因为这是一个比人类更重要的联系空间。众所周知，据称是在海鲜市场（华南海鲜市场）出现了这种病毒的第一个迹象，这一事件推动了随之而来的恶心和种族主义的蔓延。我有三个地点：悉尼植物园湾；红宝石公主号游轮；以及COVID-19对鱼类供应链以及渔民的生活和生计的影响，特别是在全球南方。我以约翰·克拉克（John Clarke）的论点为依据，“寻找共同构成纽扣的不同动力和力量是一个巨大的挑战”，Meaghan Morris呼吁在文化研究中进行针对特定地点的思考。我认为，如果我们要为人类以外的世界和我们的纪律找到希望的细线，那是时候在混乱的大流行中进行挖掘了。