Michael Bender

Email: mbender@ex.ac.uk
Telephone: 07779 - 755271

School: College of Humanities
Department: English Studies

My professional career was in clinical psychology, where I specialised in social approaches to memory difficulties; and also in groupwork. On finishing, I undertook a week long course at an Arvon centre and this led to a part-time M.A. in English Studies (Creative Writing pathway) and I stayed on to do a part-time Ph.D.

I brought two strands of experience to my new area of study. Firstly, I had spent many years investigating psychological and social factors in human behaviour; and secondly, my hobby was and is sailing. I completed all the relevant assessments and exams, finishing with Ocean Yachtmaster in 2008, as I did not like critiqueing books on ocean sailing without any such experience.

There has not been a lot of analysis of the meaning systems concerning yachting across time, so this is not a crowded field, which I find advantageous, as it means I don't have to find differences and take up an innovative stance compared to others in the field. Instead, I have tried to work in a multi-disciplinary fashion, linking up with marine historians. I have been fortunate to be elected to the committees of the SouthWest Maritime History Society, and the Association of Yachting Historians; and to make links with the Maritime Studies group in the History Department here in Exeter.