CONFLICTED Zohran Mamdani and the Ascendancy of Third Worldism
44 snips
Jan 1, 2026 Hussein Mansour, a writer and researcher on radical ideologies, dives deep into Third Worldism's resurgence and significance, especially through the lens of Zohran Mamdani's rise in New York City. He traces the term's historical roots back to the French Revolution and discusses the emergence of key intellectuals in interwar Paris. Mansour explores the relationship between decolonization and radical political thought, sharing insights on figures like Frantz Fanon and Aimé Césaire. The conversation reveals how present-day Third Worldism reflects elite posturing rather than a genuine political agenda.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Third-Worldism As Elite Performance
- Third-worldism resurfaced in Western discourse around Zohran Mamdani as a critique of elite culture, not merely a historical ideology.
- Hussein Mansour frames modern third-worldism as an elite Western ideology used for institutional status and performance.
Mamdani's Family Migration Story
- Mamdani's family fled Uganda during Idi Amin's expulsions and later settled in the United States.
- His parents pursued cultural careers in the West, shaping Zohran Mamdani's elite, Westernized upbringing.
Origins Of "Third World" Term
- The term "Third World" began as a valorized concept in 1952 by Alfred Sauvy, likening decolonizing nations to the French Third Estate.
- Early usage imagined the third world as a revolutionary global force reshaping history.
