Mark Engler
@markengler.bsky.social
Writer based in Philly, author of This Is An Uprising, co-director of Whirlwind Institute, editorial board at Dissent. He/him. Sign up for new writings at: https://whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/
Pinned
Mark Engler
@markengler.bsky.social
· Apr 23
Whirlwind Institute – A social change strategy center directed by Mark and Paul Engler.
whirlwindinstitute.org
The website for the Whirlwind Institute is now live!!
It’s been a long process but our new think tank is now fully up and running. We hope you will check out the work we are doing and the resources we have available. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback!
whirlwindinstitute.org
It’s been a long process but our new think tank is now fully up and running. We hope you will check out the work we are doing and the resources we have available. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback!
whirlwindinstitute.org
Excited that Progressive International is distributing our Whirlwind Institute dispatch on Belgium's "Medics for the People"--a case study in how to provide services in a way that also advances organizing. Check it out!
progressive.international/wire/2026-08...
progressive.international/wire/2026-08...
“Medics for the People” Turns Health Care Into Organizing
The Medics for the People initiative promoted by the Workers’ Party of Belgium provides free primary care as a basis for organising working-class communities.
progressive.international
September 17, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Excited that Progressive International is distributing our Whirlwind Institute dispatch on Belgium's "Medics for the People"--a case study in how to provide services in a way that also advances organizing. Check it out!
progressive.international/wire/2026-08...
progressive.international/wire/2026-08...
Reposted by Mark Engler
From families of 9/11 victims to Iraq veterans, some of the most powerful antiwar voices came from people directly affected. @markengler.bsky.social interviews Jeremy Varon about the movement’s history and what organizers can learn from it.
25 Years After 9/11, How Do We Build a Movement To Stop Forever Wars?
As Trump wages an unpopular war with Iran, historian Jeremy Varon discusses what we can learn from the movement that turned the tide against the Iraq War.
inthesetimes.com
September 14, 2026 at 8:45 PM
From families of 9/11 victims to Iraq veterans, some of the most powerful antiwar voices came from people directly affected. @markengler.bsky.social interviews Jeremy Varon about the movement’s history and what organizers can learn from it.
“Even endless wars can end, when they lose legitimacy in the eyes of the nation waging them.”
In conversation with Mark Engler, Historian Jeremy Varon considers what sustained dissent can accomplish, even when its effects take years to become clear.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
In conversation with Mark Engler, Historian Jeremy Varon considers what sustained dissent can accomplish, even when its effects take years to become clear.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
September 12, 2026 at 7:44 PM
“Even endless wars can end, when they lose legitimacy in the eyes of the nation waging them.”
In conversation with Mark Engler, Historian Jeremy Varon considers what sustained dissent can accomplish, even when its effects take years to become clear.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
In conversation with Mark Engler, Historian Jeremy Varon considers what sustained dissent can accomplish, even when its effects take years to become clear.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
“Even endless wars can end, when they lose legitimacy in the eyes of the nation waging them.”
My convo with historian Jeremy Varon on the impact of anti-war organizing post-9/11.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
My convo with historian Jeremy Varon on the impact of anti-war organizing post-9/11.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
25 Years After 9/11, How Do We Build a Movement To Stop Forever Wars?
As Trump wages an unpopular war with Iran, historian Jeremy Varon discusses what we can learn from the movement that turned the tide against the Iraq War.
inthesetimes.com
September 11, 2026 at 5:55 PM
“Even endless wars can end, when they lose legitimacy in the eyes of the nation waging them.”
My convo with historian Jeremy Varon on the impact of anti-war organizing post-9/11.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
My convo with historian Jeremy Varon on the impact of anti-war organizing post-9/11.
inthesetimes.com/article/9-11...
Reposted by Mark Engler
Twenty-five years after 9/11, Trump’s war in Iran faces broad public opposition. @markengler.bsky.social speaks with historian Jeremy Varon about what the movement against the Iraq War can teach organizers today.
25 Years After 9/11, How Do We Build a Movement To Stop Forever Wars?
As Trump wages an unpopular war with Iran, historian Jeremy Varon discusses what we can learn from the movement that turned the tide against the Iraq War.
inthesetimes.com
September 10, 2026 at 11:45 PM
Twenty-five years after 9/11, Trump’s war in Iran faces broad public opposition. @markengler.bsky.social speaks with historian Jeremy Varon about what the movement against the Iraq War can teach organizers today.
Our latest: For the 25th anniversary of 9/11, I talk with historian Jeremy Varon, author of “Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War,” about the lessons we can learn from the anti-war activism that emerged after 9/11, esp. the movement against the War in Iraq.
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/09/25-y...
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/09/25-y...
25 years after 9/11, how do we build a movement to stop endless wars?
As Trump wages an unpopular war with Iran, Jeremy Varon discusses what lessons from the movement that turned the tide against the Iraq War.
wagingnonviolence.org
September 10, 2026 at 5:10 PM
Our latest: For the 25th anniversary of 9/11, I talk with historian Jeremy Varon, author of “Our Grief Is Not a Cry for War,” about the lessons we can learn from the anti-war activism that emerged after 9/11, esp. the movement against the War in Iraq.
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/09/25-y...
wagingnonviolence.org/2026/09/25-y...
Between Dolly Parton, Wendell Berry, and Gloria Steinem passing, it's been a tough week of losing elders. Earlier I sent out a profile of Berry. If you heard that he died, but you may not know a lot about him, this one's for you..
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/rememberin...
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/rememberin...
Remembering Wendell Berry—Agrarian, Writer, and Voice of Conscience
In a world of AI and data centers and phones in our pockets that demand continual attention, Berry’s voice remains as important as ever.
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com
September 3, 2026 at 1:23 PM
Between Dolly Parton, Wendell Berry, and Gloria Steinem passing, it's been a tough week of losing elders. Earlier I sent out a profile of Berry. If you heard that he died, but you may not know a lot about him, this one's for you..
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/rememberin...
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/rememberin...
Wendell Berry, the great agrarian, writer, and voice of conscience, has died at age 92. In a world of AI and data centers and phones in our pockets that demand continual attention, Berry’s voice remains as important as ever.
See link in comments...
See link in comments...
September 1, 2026 at 5:18 PM
Wendell Berry, the great agrarian, writer, and voice of conscience, has died at age 92. In a world of AI and data centers and phones in our pockets that demand continual attention, Berry’s voice remains as important as ever.
See link in comments...
See link in comments...
Our latest from the Whirlwind Institute: @joetodd.bsky.social writes on how “Medics for the People” Turns Health Care Into Organizing.
A key question for social movements is how to convert services into organizing. Joe’s profile provides a great case study to check out!
jacobin.com/2026/07/belg...
A key question for social movements is how to convert services into organizing. Joe’s profile provides a great case study to check out!
jacobin.com/2026/07/belg...
“Medics for the People” Turns Health Care Into Organizing
The Medics for the People initiative promoted by the Workers’ Party of Belgium provides free primary care. It offers direct aid to the population, not out of charity but as a basis for organizing work...
jacobin.com
August 28, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Our latest from the Whirlwind Institute: @joetodd.bsky.social writes on how “Medics for the People” Turns Health Care Into Organizing.
A key question for social movements is how to convert services into organizing. Joe’s profile provides a great case study to check out!
jacobin.com/2026/07/belg...
A key question for social movements is how to convert services into organizing. Joe’s profile provides a great case study to check out!
jacobin.com/2026/07/belg...
Reposted by Mark Engler
“With the passage of time, successful movements are often celebrated as heroic and noble. But while they are still active, their tactics are never beloved by all.” @markengler.bsky.social & Paul Engler in This is an Uprising. Remember this as the anti-democratic forces villify today’s protestors.
July 12, 2026 at 2:48 AM
“With the passage of time, successful movements are often celebrated as heroic and noble. But while they are still active, their tactics are never beloved by all.” @markengler.bsky.social & Paul Engler in This is an Uprising. Remember this as the anti-democratic forces villify today’s protestors.
Friends--I'll be passing through Vienna for a couple days in around June 6-8. I am looking to meet with activists and other people doing cool things. If you've got folks you can recommend, please send their info my way!!!
May 27, 2026 at 10:16 PM
Friends--I'll be passing through Vienna for a couple days in around June 6-8. I am looking to meet with activists and other people doing cool things. If you've got folks you can recommend, please send their info my way!!!
In our latest from the Whirlwind Institute, senior research associate Raina Lipsitz writes on how "Mamdani Can Empower Workers Themselves to Enforce Labor Law."
jacobin.com/2026/05/mamd...
@co-enforcement
jacobin.com/2026/05/mamd...
@co-enforcement
Mamdani Can Empower Workers Themselves to Enforce Labor Law
Zohran Mamdani can take labor law enforcement beyond traditional mechanisms by empowering workers themselves to enforce the law on the job, building peer education and empowering shop-floor workplace ...
jacobin.com
May 27, 2026 at 7:50 PM
In our latest from the Whirlwind Institute, senior research associate Raina Lipsitz writes on how "Mamdani Can Empower Workers Themselves to Enforce Labor Law."
jacobin.com/2026/05/mamd...
@co-enforcement
jacobin.com/2026/05/mamd...
@co-enforcement
"Not only does an activated base make it possible to win more, it makes it more likely that those gains can be defended against future rollback."
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/can-mamdan...
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/can-mamdan...
Can Mamdani Build Mass Engagement to Support City Socialism?
The success of Organize NYC, a new initiative designed to bring a grassroots base into the guts of the governing process, will have implications for the left outside the five boroughs.
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com
May 6, 2026 at 5:33 PM
"Not only does an activated base make it possible to win more, it makes it more likely that those gains can be defended against future rollback."
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/can-mamdan...
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/can-mamdan...
The Mamdani administration is learning from past failures of progressive politicians. You can’t just deliver — you have to give the people a sense of their power in delivering. The Office of Mass Engagement seeks to do just that.
My latest, w/ Miles Goodrich...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
My latest, w/ Miles Goodrich...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
How Mamdani Can Build Mass Engagement - Dissent Magazine
The success of Organize NYC, a new initiative designed to bring a grassroots base into the guts of the governing process, will have implications for the left outside the five boroughs.
dissentmagazine.org
May 5, 2026 at 2:36 PM
The Mamdani administration is learning from past failures of progressive politicians. You can’t just deliver — you have to give the people a sense of their power in delivering. The Office of Mass Engagement seeks to do just that.
My latest, w/ Miles Goodrich...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
My latest, w/ Miles Goodrich...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
Now up at Dissent! My latest, written with Whirlwind Institute senior research analyst Miles Goodrich, looks at Mamdani's Office of Mass Engagement and its plans to organize New Yorkers. Check it out...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
How Mamdani Can Build Mass Engagement - Dissent Magazine
The success of Organize NYC, a new initiative designed to bring a grassroots base into the guts of the governing process, will have implications for the left outside the five boroughs.
dissentmagazine.org
May 4, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Now up at Dissent! My latest, written with Whirlwind Institute senior research analyst Miles Goodrich, looks at Mamdani's Office of Mass Engagement and its plans to organize New Yorkers. Check it out...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
We formed the Whirlwind Institute to help seed new movements, grow existing ones, and create conditions in which different campaigns and organizations can work together. Excited that our new website is now up and running... Check it out!!!
whirlwindinstitute.org
whirlwindinstitute.org
Home - Whirlwind Institute
The Whirlwind Institute is a social change strategy center directed by Mark and Paul Engler. We provide articles, analysis, and research on critical issues facing progressive movements in the United S...
whirlwindinstitute.org
April 24, 2026 at 2:38 PM
We formed the Whirlwind Institute to help seed new movements, grow existing ones, and create conditions in which different campaigns and organizations can work together. Excited that our new website is now up and running... Check it out!!!
whirlwindinstitute.org
whirlwindinstitute.org
The website for the Whirlwind Institute is now live!!
It’s been a long process but our new think tank is now fully up and running. We hope you will check out the work we are doing and the resources we have available. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback!
whirlwindinstitute.org
It’s been a long process but our new think tank is now fully up and running. We hope you will check out the work we are doing and the resources we have available. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback!
whirlwindinstitute.org
Whirlwind Institute – A social change strategy center directed by Mark and Paul Engler.
whirlwindinstitute.org
April 23, 2026 at 6:28 PM
The website for the Whirlwind Institute is now live!!
It’s been a long process but our new think tank is now fully up and running. We hope you will check out the work we are doing and the resources we have available. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback!
whirlwindinstitute.org
It’s been a long process but our new think tank is now fully up and running. We hope you will check out the work we are doing and the resources we have available. I’ll look forward to hearing your feedback!
whirlwindinstitute.org
Reposted by Mark Engler
i think jesse jackson was one of the most important american political figures of the post-war era and i think that his 1984 and 1988 campaigns for the democratic nomination still have a great deal to teach about forging a path to a more egalitarian world. RIP.
February 17, 2026 at 1:36 PM
i think jesse jackson was one of the most important american political figures of the post-war era and i think that his 1984 and 1988 campaigns for the democratic nomination still have a great deal to teach about forging a path to a more egalitarian world. RIP.
Reposted by Mark Engler
Great @markengler.bsky.social article about one of my movement heroes: Highlander Center founder, Myles Horton.🤩
"It’s only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly..."
Check it out in @convergencemag.com #PeoplePower #ChangeTheStory
"It’s only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly..."
Check it out in @convergencemag.com #PeoplePower #ChangeTheStory
How Myles Horton Built a Social Movement Institution
The founder of the Highlander Center’s life and writing contain crucial lessons for building long-lasting institutions—ones that support organizations and everyday people through the peaks and valleys...
convergencemag.com
February 16, 2026 at 6:28 PM
Great @markengler.bsky.social article about one of my movement heroes: Highlander Center founder, Myles Horton.🤩
"It’s only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly..."
Check it out in @convergencemag.com #PeoplePower #ChangeTheStory
"It’s only in a movement that an idea is often made simple enough and direct enough that it can spread rapidly..."
Check it out in @convergencemag.com #PeoplePower #ChangeTheStory
On the power of mass non-cooperation, from our latest in The Guardian. Check it out!
Link here: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Link here: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
February 16, 2026 at 2:36 PM
On the power of mass non-cooperation, from our latest in The Guardian. Check it out!
Link here: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Link here: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Minneapolis Has Shown Us the Power of Mass Non-Cooperation
Our latest, now up at the Guardian, draws from the new preface to our just-released 10th anniversary edition of This Is an Uprising. Check out the article below and the book here!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Our latest, now up at the Guardian, draws from the new preface to our just-released 10th anniversary edition of This Is an Uprising. Check out the article below and the book here!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The key to defeating Trump? Mass non-cooperation | Mark Engler and Paul Engler
Our studies in civil resistance offer insight into the level of popular organizing needed to repel assaults on democracy
www.theguardian.com
February 15, 2026 at 2:01 PM
Minneapolis Has Shown Us the Power of Mass Non-Cooperation
Our latest, now up at the Guardian, draws from the new preface to our just-released 10th anniversary edition of This Is an Uprising. Check out the article below and the book here!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Our latest, now up at the Guardian, draws from the new preface to our just-released 10th anniversary edition of This Is an Uprising. Check out the article below and the book here!
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
We are excited to announce the release of a new and expanded edition of our book on the power of mass mobilization!
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/tenth-anni...
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/tenth-anni...
Tenth Anniversary Edition of This Is An Uprising now available!
We are excited to announce the release of a new and expanded edition of our book on the power of mass mobilization.
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:27 PM
We are excited to announce the release of a new and expanded edition of our book on the power of mass mobilization!
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/tenth-anni...
whirlwinddispatches.substack.com/p/tenth-anni...
Reposted by Mark Engler
"THIS IS AN UPRISING: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century," the modern classic of social movement organizing by @markengler.bsky.social and Paul Engler, is now available in a tenth-anniversary edition!
Learn more: bit.ly/4c5agCE/
Learn more: bit.ly/4c5agCE/
February 3, 2026 at 2:44 PM
"THIS IS AN UPRISING: How Nonviolent Revolt Is Shaping the Twenty-First Century," the modern classic of social movement organizing by @markengler.bsky.social and Paul Engler, is now available in a tenth-anniversary edition!
Learn more: bit.ly/4c5agCE/
Learn more: bit.ly/4c5agCE/