Joseph Hill

Joseph Hill is an Associate Professor and Undergraduate Director in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Arts. His research focuses on Sufi Islam in West Africa, particularly gender dynamics, religious performance, and transnational networks. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Yale University and a BA from Brigham Young University.

Research interests include the Fayḍa Tijāniyya Sufi movement, women’s Islamic leadership, and the role of hip-hop in religious expression. Key projects explore how Sufi practices mediate social change and navigate cultural pluralism.

• Published works: Wrapping Authority (2018), awarded the Clifford Geertz Prize (2020).
• Editor-in-Chief of Islamic Africa.
• Teaches courses on gender, religion, and linguistic anthropology.

Awards: First Runner-Up for the Clifford Geertz Prize in the Anthropology of Religion (2020).