Mark Danner

Mark Danner is a Professor and Class of 1961 Distinguished Chair in Undergraduate Education at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds appointments in the Department of English and the Graduate School of Journalism, focusing on politics, foreign policy, and narrative literature. Danner is also the James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and the Humanities at Bard College and a Resident Curator at the Telluride Film Festival. His research spans 20th- and 21st-century literature, political conflict, and the intersection of narrative and journalism.

Education: AB in Modern Literature and Aesthetics from Harvard College (1981). Professional roles include staff writer at The New Yorker (1990–2001), contributor to The New York Review of Books since 1993, and documentary producer for ABC News. Danner has taught courses on war reporting, human rights, and postmodern literature.

Research interests center on US foreign policy, war reporting, and the ethical dimensions of journalism. His books include Spiral: Trapped in the Forever War (2016) and Stripping Bare the Body (2009), analyzing the Iraq War and torture during the War on Terror. Awards include a MacArthur Fellowship (1999), Guggenheim Fellowship (2019), and multiple Overseas Press Awards.

Recent articles explore democratic decline, US foreign policy under Trump, and the legacy of the War on Terror. Danner’s work bridges journalism and academia, emphasizing critical analysis of political power and its consequences. Grants include a Mellon Foundation fellowship (2023) and Carnegie Corporation funding (2016). He lectures globally and advises on human rights and media ethics.