Belabored Podcast #100: How Uprisings Happen, with Mark Engler

Belabored Podcast #100: How Uprisings Happen, with Mark Engler

For the 100th episode of Belabored, a special live-recorded discussion with Mark Engler, about his new book This Is an Uprising, and what the labor movement can draw from popular protest.

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What’s the difference between a protest and a movement, between a tactic and a vision? How do agitators harness the spontaneity of a sudden political clash, while still maintaining discipline and control during mass mobilizations? In This Is an Uprising, Mark and Paul Engler, veteran activists and chroniclers of social movements, analyze the mechanics and tools of popular protest throughout modern history and move toward a theory of civil resistance. Drawing from multiple historical contexts and organizing traditions, from labor strikes to student marches to Gandhian nonviolence strategies, the book presents a blueprint for organizers to understand how uprisings happen, how social movements advance, and why some fail.

In this special 100th episode of Belabored, we bring you a live-recorded discussion about their book as well as some contemporary examples of uprisings, including successes, setbacks, and current uprisings that are still unfolding.

And for our 100th epiversary, Belabored invites our listeners to join us as supporting members. Sign up here to support Belabored with a monthly donation, or make a one-off contribution to the podcast. Please help keep us going for the next 100 episodes!

Special thanks to 61 Local for hosting our event.