How a Scholar’s Work on Colonialism Influences New York Politics
Mahmood Mamdani: The Intellectual Father Behind a Politician
A Scholar of Global Stature
Mahmood Mamdani is one of the most influential political scientists and anthropologists of our time, a scholar whose work on colonialism, imperialism, and the politics of identity has reshaped academic discourse across the globe. As the Herbert Lehman Professor of Government at Columbia University and Director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research in Kampala, Uganda, his intellectual legacy provides a critical backdrop for understanding the political worldview of his son, New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani. The elder Mamdani’s scholarship is not merely an academic footnote to his son’s career; it is a foundational framework that informs the assemblyman’s analysis of power, his critique of racial capitalism, and his approach to political organizing. To grasp the ideological underpinnings of a new generation of socialist politicians in America, one must first understand the intellectual environment cultivated by figures like Mahmood Mamdani.
Born in 1946 in Mumbai, India, and raised in Uganda, Mahmood Mamdani’s life has been intertwined with the major political upheavals of the postcolonial world. He was expelled from Uganda by the Idi Amin regime, an experience that undoubtedly shaped his critical perspective on state power and violence. His most famous work, 1996’s “Citizen and Subject: Contemporary Africa and the Legacy of Late Colonialism,” argues that the modern African state is a bifurcated system, a direct legacy of colonial indirect rule that created different forms of power for urban and rural citizens. This analysis of how power is structured and maintained has clear echoes in his son’s critique of the American state and its institutions, from policing to housing policy.
Key Theoretical Influences on a Political Movement
The throughline from Mahmood Mamdani’s scholarship to his son’s politics is most evident in their shared critique of how political identities are constructed and manipulated. In works like “When Victims Become Killers: Colonialism, Nativism, and the Genocide in Rwanda,” Mamdani explores how colonial powers racialized and tribalized populations, creating categories of “citizen” and “native” that would later be weaponized for political violence. This deep skepticism of state-sanctioned identity politics and an understanding of its roots in imperial projects informs the younger Mamdani’s approach to issues in New York. For example, his perspective on policing and criminal justice likely draws from this analytical tradition, viewing the carceral state not as a neutral entity but as an institution that manages and controls populations in a manner with historical parallels to colonial systems.
Furthermore, Mahmood Mamdani’s more recent work, such as “Neither Settler nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities,” argues for a political solution that moves beyond the nation-state model, which he sees as inherently majoritarian and exclusionary. While his son operates squarely within the American electoral system, this theoretical push for a radical reimagining of political community resonates with the transformative, rather than reformist, ambitions of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). It provides an intellectual grounding for policies that seek to fundamentally restructure society, such as decommodifying housing or abolishing the police, by framing them as part of a necessary decolonization of political life.
Family as an Intellectual and Political Crucible
The Mamdani household was, by all accounts, an environment where rigorous intellectual debate and a global perspective were the norm. Zohran Mamdani has often spoken about the influence of his father’s work, describing a childhood filled with discussions about political theory and global history. This unique upbringing provided him with a sophisticated analytical toolkit long before he entered formal politics. It also connected him to a diasporic, internationalist perspective, situating the struggles of New York City tenants and workers within a broader global history of anti-colonial and anti-imperial movements. This worldview is a stark contrast to the often parochial nature of American local politics.
The influence is not merely abstract. Mahmood Mamdani’s specific focus on the political economy of land and property in Africa offers a direct intellectual precedent for his son’s focus on housing justice in New York. The assemblyman’s advocacy for the Good Cause Eviction bill and social housing can be seen as a practical application of critiquing property relations–a central theme in his father’s analysis of colonial and postcolonial states. The connection demonstrates how high theory can translate into grassroots political organizing, with the elder Mamdani’s work providing a framework for understanding displacement and dispossession as systemic, rather than individual, failures.
A Legacy Beyond the Academy
Mahmood Mamdani’s impact extends far beyond his immediate family. He is a public intellectual who has engaged in major debates on some of the most contentious issues of our time, from the war in Iraq to the crisis in Darfur. His willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, whether from a liberal or conservative perspective, has made him a sometimes controversial but always respected figure. This model of an intellectual who is unafraid to enter the political fray has clearly been adopted by his son, who brings a similarly scholarly and principled approach to his role in the New York State Assembly, often citing historical and theoretical context in his speeches and policy arguments.
Institutions like the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) have long recognized Mahmood Mamdani’s contributions to shaping how we understand the modern world. His career stands as a testament to the power of ideas to cross from the academy into the real world of politics and policy. As his son, Zohran, continues to build a political career based on a clear ideological foundation, the influence of Mahmood Mamdani’s scholarship becomes increasingly evident. It serves as a powerful reminder that behind many political movements are deep intellectual currents, and that the fight for a more just society in New York is, in part, a conversation with ideas forged in the struggles of the postcolonial world. For those tracking the assemblyman’s career, resources like his official legislative page show the practical application of this rich intellectual heritage.