Father of NYC’s New Mayor Plans to Keep “Arm’s Length” Relationship with Son’s Administration
In a thoughtful interview with The Guardian published Tuesday, Mahmood Mamdani, father of New York City’s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, expressed his intention to maintain a respectful distance from his son’s incoming administration. The 79-year-old Columbia University professor of government and anthropology shared his perspective on how he and his wife, filmmaker Mira Nair, plan to navigate their relationship with their son’s historic administration. “As to how I will relate to Zohran’s administration, I think initially, at least, both Mira and I will have the relationship we did during the campaign, which is to stay at arm’s length, but always be available,” Mamdani explained. He emphasized their commitment to being supportive parents while respecting boundaries: “Always be available for discussion, for sharing our point of view, but not mistaking ourselves for being him.”
The elder Mamdani’s thoughtful approach to his son’s political career reflects his own complex relationship with power, shaped by his personal history and academic work. Born in India and raised in Uganda until his expulsion in 1972 during Idi Amin’s regime targeting citizens of South Asian descent, Mahmood Mamdani has developed nuanced views on political authority. “I don’t believe one should just stay away from power, but I don’t think we should embrace it,” he reflected in the interview. “Power is a fatal thing for intellectuals. It corrupts intellectuals. I’ve seen many, many, many a friend get corrupted in the process.” This perspective seems to inform his desire to maintain appropriate distance from his son’s administration while remaining a supportive presence.
Mahmood Mamdani has built a distinguished academic career after immigrating to the United States, teaching at several leading universities and currently serving as director of the Makerere Institute of Social Research (MISR) in Uganda. The interview coincided with the promotion of his new book, “Slow Poison: Idi Amin, Yoweri Museveni, and the Making of the Ugandan State,” which reexamines Amin’s dictatorship. His scholarly work often engages with complex political realities, informed by his lived experience of displacement and his academic expertise in government and anthropology. In 1991, Mamdani married filmmaker Mira Nair after meeting during her filming of “Mississippi Masala” in Uganda, and their son Zohran was born that same year.
Zohran Mamdani’s path to becoming New York City’s mayor-elect represents a remarkable political journey. Before his mayoral victory, he served as a community organizer and New York State assemblymember representing Astoria, Queens. As a Democratic socialist, his decisive election victory has been described as a “socialist shockwave” that stunned the city’s political establishment. When he takes office on January 1, he will lead from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, bringing new perspectives to city governance. His victory represents significant change in New York City politics, with voters embracing candidates from the party’s more progressive flank.
In the weeks leading up to the mayoral election, controversy emerged surrounding some of Mahmood Mamdani’s past academic work and statements. A viral video from a 2022 panel discussion showed the professor discussing America’s influence on global settler colonialism, including assertions about the U.S. serving as a model for subsequent colonial projects. Additionally, his 2004 book “Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror” contained passages about political violence that drew scrutiny during his son’s campaign. The book, reportedly dedicated to “Zohran and his mates,” included analysis of suicide bombing as “a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism” – language that became controversial in the context of his son’s political rise.
Despite these controversies, Zohran Mamdani’s successful mayoral campaign demonstrated his ability to connect with voters and build a winning coalition in one of America’s most complex political environments. As he prepares to take office in January, the arm’s length relationship his father describes may serve both men well – allowing the new mayor to establish his own political identity while still benefiting from parental wisdom when sought. The relationship between the academic father and politician son represents a fascinating dynamic in American politics, highlighting how personal history, intellectual heritage, and independent political ambition can coexist within a family. As Mahmood Mamdani continues his scholarly work examining power structures globally, his son will soon wield significant political authority in America’s largest city – a juxtaposition that both men appear to be approaching with thoughtfulness and appropriate boundaries.
