I’ve just completed a three-year fully-funded PhD in History & Monster Theory from the University of Portsmouth. My research is centred on what might be termed, ‘histories of the imagination’. A lot of what I cover is folklore based and focussed on the concept of monstrosity in popular culture. In particular I study narratives about monsters within nineteenth-century newspapers, government reports, and printed ephemera such as ballads and pamphlets.
To give you a snapshot of the sorts of things I discuss and research: one of my PhD chapters focused in on mining folklore, including stories about ghosts and monsters living in mines which circulated in the Victorian press whenever mining disasters occured.
To find out more about my research, check out a couple of articles I’ve written recently on the subject:
In Search of Monsters: offers a more general overview of my research area. Via Supernatural Cities.
Ghosts, Angels & Death Omens: offers a more in-depth look at mining folklore. Via Folklore Thursday.
These articles are also available on my site as blog articles on my Posts page.
As a researcher, I’m a member of the UoP’s Supernatural Cities research group, you can find out more about us here.
I’m proud to be part of Portsmouth Darkfest‘s organising body, now in it’s third year. The festival is ‘an annual celebration of the urban supernatural’ and is the brainchild of award-winning author & historian, Dr Karl Bell.
My PhD studies were generously funded by the University’s CEISR research centre. You can find out more about us here.
Dr Eilís Phillips / Creative Consultant 
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