The Living Legacy of Malcolm X

Research output

Complete citation

Poljarević, Emin. “The Living Legacy of Malcolm X.” Islamic Horizons 49, no. 1 (January–February 2020): 22–23.

Status

Published

Publication type

Public scholarship / commentary

Overview

Written fifty-five years after Malcolm X’s assassination, this article examines why his life and message continue to resonate among Muslim youth and justice-oriented movements across different societies. It asks what makes Malcolm’s legacy durable despite the frequent fragmentation of his thought into quotations, images, films, and decontextualised online material. The article identifies his disciplined struggle for dignity, freedom, justice, and moral transformation as the core of that continuing appeal. It also cautions that popular representations can detach Malcolm’s words from the historical development of his religious and political commitments. By reading his influence across Western and Islamicate settings, the article shows how his legacy travels through changing cultural forms while retaining a recognisable challenge to racism and injustice. Its contribution is to explain both the ethical force and the interpretive risks involved when contemporary Muslim communities draw upon Malcolm X as a resource for social engagement.

Research question or central concern

Why does Malcolm X continue to inspire Muslim youth and justice-oriented movements, and what is lost when his legacy is reduced to decontextualised images and quotations?

Main argument, approach, and contribution

The article argues that Malcolm X’s continuing influence rests on his disciplined pursuit of dignity, freedom, justice, and moral transformation. It combines historical interpretation with attention to contemporary reception and warns against separating his message from its religious and political development.

Keywords

Malcolm X; legacy; Muslim youth; dignity; justice; political theology; popular culture