Youssef Carter

Youssef Carter is an Assistant Professor and Kenan Rifai Fellow in Islamic Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Department of Religious Studies. His work focuses on Sufism, Islam in West Africa and the African Diaspora, and decolonial studies. He holds a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, an M.A. from North Carolina Central University, and a B.S. from NC A&T State University.

His research explores how religious discourses empower marginalized communities, particularly through his book project on transatlantic Sufi networks and his editorial work on Shaykh Ahmad Bamba's spiritual biography. He co-leads Voyages Africana Journal, an online platform for Africana cultural education, and advises the After Malcolm Digital Archive, documenting African-American Muslim histories.

His teaching includes courses on African American Islam, Sufism, and race-religion intersections in the U.S. Awards include Harvard's College Postdoctoral Fellowship (2019) and a UC Berkeley Chancellor’s Fellowship (2011).