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Discussion 4_Roots of Contemporary Issues

Discussion 4_Roots of Contemporary Issues

Q First, answer the following questions: What is Mamdani’s primary argument? What is the primary function of what Mamdani calls “Culture Talk”? What are the primary consequences of “Culture Talk” when applied to Islam and Muslims? Paraphrase, do not quote, but do provide page references. Second, describe at least two examples of Orientalist thinking that struck you from the interview with Edward Said. How do Mamdani’s arguments about distinctions between war and terror help us make even more sense of these examples?

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The primary argument of Mamdani is that often within the cultural or religious movements political agendas are hidden. This makes it difficult to tell apart political from non-political to a great extent. When we try to figure out who is good and who is bad, it really becomes challenging to separate political from non political (Mamdani 2004, p. 15). The main function of a ‘culture talk’ is to hold the defining characteristics of a culture the reason for politics (Mamdani 2004, p. 17). This Culture Talk views Islamic politics in a very different way. The Culture Talk believes in a central meaning and according to it, every culture has a central meaning. And that central meaning results into politics (Mamdani 2004, p. 17).