Columbia University Appoints Father of NYC Mayor to Lead African Studies Institute

Professor Mahmoud Mamdani, the father of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has been appointed director of Columbia University's Institute for African Studies. The 80-year-old professor previously held the position from 1999 to 2004. He had been on medical leave from the university since September 2025 and spent extended periods in Uganda.

Mamdani is known as a prominent critic of Israel within academia, having described the country as a colonial project and called for its "de-Zionization." Following the October 7th Hamas attacks, he signed a letter from faculty members that characterized the assault as a "military action" to be examined within the context of the occupation.