Under Construction @ Keele 2016 Volume 2 Issue 1 | Page 7

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Introduction
The first issue of Under Construction @ Keele was the culmination of months of hard
work by a small number of Keele postgraduates in the Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences, brought together by the ideas and determination of the journal’s
creator, Andrew Joseph. We were delighted to carry five articles to print in Summer
2015, disseminating exciting postgraduate research taking place within the faculty.
The expanded journal team sought to build on the success and reach of this first
issue, and were overwhelmed with the positive response and proposals for
contributions that we received.
The pieces that follow are demonstrative of that positive response. We hope
that they also realise our aim, set out in the first issue’s introduction, to encourage an
interdisciplinary exploration of postgraduate research at Keele. Kirsty Greenwood’s
article brings together, for example, perspectives from criminology and history, and
Chitra Jayathilake’s contribution explores issues of racism and political death
through a literary lens. As a collective, the pieces span various disciplines across the
Humanities and Social Sciences, exploring complex theoretical issues and
showcasing original research in abundance. We are also delighted to have
diversified our content and include two reviews – Jason Balzarano’s review of Fun
Home: A New Broadway Musical and Kevin Hoffin’s review of an edited collection on
Melancology.
I must take this opportunity to thank my fellow team members for their hard
work. A more formal system of operation and their dedication have helped make the
production of this issue a much smoother process. Our carefully selected peer
reviewers, organised by our newly appointed peer review liaison officer Holly
Eckersley, have helped ensure that the work presented here is to the highest
standards, as have our dedicated Editorial Team members. Publicist James
Williamson and Social Media Designer Wallis Seaton have successfully expanded
the journal’s reach, promoting awareness throughout the postgraduate community at
Keele and beyond. Our Communications Secretary Kim Braxton has played an
integral role throughout the whole process, carefully orchestrating each deadline and
bringing everyone’s individual efforts together. I must also give special thanks to our
editor Mustafa Cakmak, for his assistance putting the final version together. Such