Michael Sanders

Michael Sanders is a Senior Lecturer in 19th Century Writing at the Department of English and American Studies, The University of Manchester. His research focuses on the intersection of culture and politics in 19th-century working-class radicalism, particularly the Chartist movement. He has held academic positions at multiple institutions including Exeter University and Lancaster University before joining Manchester in 2006. His work examines Chartism’s literary expressions, religion’s role in radical movements, and working-class engagement with literature.

Education: B.A. in English & American Literature (University of Kent, Canterbury), Ph.D. (Birkbeck College, University of London). Research interests include Chartism’s poetic legacy, Victorian hymnody, and the socio-political dimensions of working-class literature. He co-leads the AHRC-funded Piston, Pen & Press project exploring industrial working-class literary culture in Scotland and northern England.

Key projects include co-editing Subaltern Medievalisms (2021) and authoring The Poetry of Chartism (2009). His recent publications analyze Chartism’s religious discourse, late-Victorian gender representations, and Victorian industrial narratives. He supervises postgraduate research on Victorian literature, radical movements, and working-class cultural practices.

Labs/Teams: Co-investigator on Piston, Pen & Press (AHRC-funded), collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to explore historical literary access and participation.