https://znetwork.org/author/markengler/ Independent Left News, Analysis, Vision and Strategy Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:53:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://znetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cropped-Z_logo_512-32x32.png https://znetwork.org/author/markengler/ 32 32 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/learning-from-myles-hortons-legendary-career-in-social-movements/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/learning-from-myles-hortons-legendary-career-in-social-movements/#respond Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:52:54 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1292328 Over a career that spanned more than 50 years and touched on some of the major American social movements of the 20th century, Myles Horton established himself as one of our country’s most renowned popular educators.  Founder of the Highlander Folk School, later reformed as the Highlander Research and Education Center after it was shut [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/learning-from-myles-hortons-legendary-career-in-social-movements/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/could-we-be-entering-a-movement-moment-against-trump/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/could-we-be-entering-a-movement-moment-against-trump/#respond Fri, 11 Apr 2025 13:55:01 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1282289 Amid daily headlines about the Trump administration’s “flood the zone” assault on American government, it is easy to despair. And yet, people should not lose faith in their own ability to defend democracy. History tells us that, even as authoritarians deploy “shock and awe” campaigns to cause confusion and demobilization, they consistently underestimate the ability [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/could-we-be-entering-a-movement-moment-against-trump/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/trumps-backpedaling-shows-hes-not-invincible/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/trumps-backpedaling-shows-hes-not-invincible/#respond Tue, 18 Mar 2025 17:39:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1281209 In the opening two months of his presidency, Donald Trump has unleashed a historic assault aimed at destroying public services, punishing vulnerable communities and dismantling any semblance of social-democratic governance in the United States. This “flood the zone” onslaught has been designed to overwhelm and disorient opposition, making it hard to keep up with the [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/trumps-backpedaling-shows-hes-not-invincible/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-going-to-take-multiple-strategies-to-win-under-trump-2-0/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-going-to-take-multiple-strategies-to-win-under-trump-2-0/#respond Thu, 30 Jan 2025 16:57:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1279088 In the wake of the 2024 election and Donald Trump’s return to power, we have heard many suggestions for how progressives should regroup and respond. Some activists have argued that we need to prepare for mass protest and civil disobedience against the horrific policies the administration is bound to implement, such as mass deportations and [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-going-to-take-multiple-strategies-to-win-under-trump-2-0/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/a-new-wave-of-movements-against-trumpism-is-coming/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/a-new-wave-of-movements-against-trumpism-is-coming/#respond Sun, 10 Nov 2024 15:04:43 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1275091 For many of us, the immediate aftermath of Donald Trump’s decisive electoral victory has been a time of deep despair and mourning. There has been plenty of commentary trying to make sense of Trump’s win and the factors that led to it. But no analysis changes the fact that the outcome represents a serious blow [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/a-new-wave-of-movements-against-trumpism-is-coming/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-to-make-sure-your-disruptive-protest-helps-your-cause/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-to-make-sure-your-disruptive-protest-helps-your-cause/#respond Sat, 10 Aug 2024 16:05:21 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1270633 [Editor’s note: This article is the second in a two-part series about how movements can understand and harness the polarizing effects of protest. The first part looked at why disruptive protest is inherently polarizing — and how movements can win in a polarized context. This second part breaks down some of the factors that shape the public [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-to-make-sure-your-disruptive-protest-helps-your-cause/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/why-protests-work-even-when-not-everybody-likes-them/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/why-protests-work-even-when-not-everybody-likes-them/#respond Thu, 11 Jul 2024 15:58:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1269171 This spring, student encampments protesting Israel’s war on Gaza spread across colleges throughout the United States, resulting in campus lockdowns, occupied administrative buildings, canceled graduation ceremonies and scores of arrests. But even before this latest wave of action, we have witnessed in recent years a proliferation of disruptive protest, spanning a wide range of social [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/why-protests-work-even-when-not-everybody-likes-them/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/think-metoo-didnt-make-a-real-difference-think-again/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/think-metoo-didnt-make-a-real-difference-think-again/#respond Fri, 01 Dec 2023 17:15:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1258621 What difference did #MeToo actually make? In 2017 and 2018, the viral hashtag became a global sensation that motivated millions to speak out about sexual assault and harassment. But more recently, critics have questioned whether the flurry of activity ended up leaving much of a legacy. This questioning is hardly surprising. If there is one [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/think-metoo-didnt-make-a-real-difference-think-again/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/lessons-from-gramsci-for-social-movements-today/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/lessons-from-gramsci-for-social-movements-today/#respond Wed, 02 Aug 2023 17:21:58 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1250334 He has been called one of the most original political thinkers of the 20th century. Historians point out that “If academic citations and internet references are any guide, he is more influential than Machiavelli.” And his impact on the way we think about the processes of social change has been described as “little short of electrifying.” The accomplishments of Antonio Gramsci, [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/lessons-from-gramsci-for-social-movements-today/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/lessons-from-barcelonas-8-year-experiment-in-radical-governance/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/lessons-from-barcelonas-8-year-experiment-in-radical-governance/#respond Sat, 13 May 2023 14:17:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1245999 “They want us isolated, but they will find us in common.” In May 2015, this slogan was the rallying cry of a Spanish movement that startled its country’s political establishment by propelling into power Ada Colau, Barcelona’s first female mayor. Colau took office alongside a winning slate of city councilors who had joined together in [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/lessons-from-barcelonas-8-year-experiment-in-radical-governance/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-movements-can-keep-politicians-from-selling-out/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-movements-can-keep-politicians-from-selling-out/#respond Thu, 23 Mar 2023 15:23:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1241971 By understanding how mainstream political culture co-opts elected officials, grassroots groups can help them resist. It is a pattern we see again and again: New political hopefuls are elected to office espousing progressive values and vowing to challenge the status quo in Washington, D.C. They are sent off with high hopes. But then, over time, [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/how-movements-can-keep-politicians-from-selling-out/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-hold-trifecta-power-in-over-a-dozen-states-will-they-actually-use-it/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-hold-trifecta-power-in-over-a-dozen-states-will-they-actually-use-it/#respond Sun, 05 Feb 2023 14:26:12 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1238702 “It’s a goddamn trifecta,” declared Michigan State Sen. Dayna Polehanki last November, after Democrats gained control of the governor’s mansion along with both houses of the state’s legislature in the 2022 elections.  On January 11, Michigan’s 148 state legislators took their seats to begin a new session, with Democrats enjoying a historic reversal of fortune. As recently as 2018, Republicans led all branches of state government. [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/democrats-hold-trifecta-power-in-over-a-dozen-states-will-they-actually-use-it/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/changing-the-world-as-it-is-into-the-world-as-it-should-be/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/changing-the-world-as-it-is-into-the-world-as-it-should-be/#respond Fri, 16 Dec 2022 13:30:25 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1234706 Organizations committed to changing the world for the better must deal with a fundamental tension: On the one hand, they need to present a vision for the kind of society they would like to create. On the other hand, they are forced to reckon with everyday realities of the existing economic and political order. In [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/changing-the-world-as-it-is-into-the-world-as-it-should-be/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/whats-the-problem-with-taking-state-power/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/whats-the-problem-with-taking-state-power/#respond Wed, 26 Oct 2022 14:17:07 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1223558 In 2002, in the midst of a wave of global resistance to corporate globalization that would produce major protests at trade meetings from Seattle to Genoa to Hong Kong, a book appeared that captured much of the spirit of the period’s activism. Written by John Holloway, an Irish-born political theorist who had long made his [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/whats-the-problem-with-taking-state-power/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/los-angeles-is-creating-a-model-for-fighting-mass-incarceration/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/los-angeles-is-creating-a-model-for-fighting-mass-incarceration/#respond Fri, 02 Sep 2022 15:00:00 +0000 https://znetwork.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1218284 In the late spring and summer of 2020, protests for racial justice erupted in response to the police murder of George Floyd. Mobilizations spread throughout the country and continued for months, producing what scholars identified as arguably the largest wave of mass protest in U.S. history. However, as with other surges of popular uprising, the actions died [...]]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/los-angeles-is-creating-a-model-for-fighting-mass-incarceration/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-if-america-had-six-political-parties/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-if-america-had-six-political-parties/#respond Sat, 11 Jun 2022 09:03:03 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1059099 Understanding the warring factions within the Democratic and Republican Party coalitions is critical for progressives who want to build power]]> https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-if-america-had-six-political-parties/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/movements-are-vying-for-political-power-is-co-governance-the-answer/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/movements-are-vying-for-political-power-is-co-governance-the-answer/#respond Fri, 20 May 2022 11:24:18 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1058388 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/movements-are-vying-for-political-power-is-co-governance-the-answer/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-happens-after-movement-backed-politicians-take-office/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-happens-after-movement-backed-politicians-take-office/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2022 11:40:00 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1056860 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-happens-after-movement-backed-politicians-take-office/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/disrupt-or-anchor-the-democratic-party-why-not-both/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/disrupt-or-anchor-the-democratic-party-why-not-both/#respond Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:20:29 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1054331 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/disrupt-or-anchor-the-democratic-party-why-not-both/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/should-we-disrupt-the-democratic-party-or-try-to-take-it-over/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/should-we-disrupt-the-democratic-party-or-try-to-take-it-over/#respond Fri, 14 Jan 2022 13:20:47 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1053593 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/should-we-disrupt-the-democratic-party-or-try-to-take-it-over/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/making-our-demands-both-practical-and-visionary/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/making-our-demands-both-practical-and-visionary/#comments Sat, 31 Jul 2021 09:03:16 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1048855 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/making-our-demands-both-practical-and-visionary/feed/ 1 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/thank-social-movements-for-bidens-bold-moves-on-government-spending/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/thank-social-movements-for-bidens-bold-moves-on-government-spending/#respond Fri, 28 May 2021 09:04:59 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1047100 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/thank-social-movements-for-bidens-bold-moves-on-government-spending/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/can-social-movements-realign-americas-political-parties-to-win-big-change/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/can-social-movements-realign-americas-political-parties-to-win-big-change/#respond Fri, 26 Mar 2021 09:05:33 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1044917 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/can-social-movements-realign-americas-political-parties-to-win-big-change/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-a-myth-that-presidents-welcome-movement-pressure-and-biden-is-no-different/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-a-myth-that-presidents-welcome-movement-pressure-and-biden-is-no-different/#respond Sun, 14 Feb 2021 09:02:46 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=1043330 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/its-a-myth-that-presidents-welcome-movement-pressure-and-biden-is-no-different/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/zmagazine/claiming-our-victories/ Fri, 29 Apr 2016 15:25:21 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=zmagarticle&p=985837 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/claiming-our-victories/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/claiming-our-victories/#respond Tue, 05 Apr 2016 09:03:22 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=985278 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/claiming-our-victories/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/three-times-when-the-world-broke-open-and-two-when-it-might-again/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/three-times-when-the-world-broke-open-and-two-when-it-might-again/#respond Thu, 10 Mar 2016 09:01:35 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=984433 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/three-times-when-the-world-broke-open-and-two-when-it-might-again/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/act-against-amazon/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/act-against-amazon/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2015 09:02:43 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=980946 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/act-against-amazon/feed/ 2 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-makes-nonviolent-movements-explode/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-makes-nonviolent-movements-explode/#respond Thu, 11 Dec 2014 09:01:31 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=966611 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/what-makes-nonviolent-movements-explode/feed/ 0 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/from-the-berlin-wall-to-today/ https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/from-the-berlin-wall-to-today/#respond Sat, 08 Nov 2014 09:01:38 +0000 https://zcomm.org/?post_type=znetarticle&p=965035 https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/from-the-berlin-wall-to-today/feed/ 0