Zachary Wright

Zachary Wright is Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs and Professor in Residence in the Liberal Arts Program at Northwestern University in Qatar, with joint appointments in History and Religious Studies. He holds a PhD from Northwestern University, an MA in Arabic Studies/Middle East History from the American University in Cairo, and a BA in History from Stanford University. His research focuses on Islamic intellectual history in West and North Africa, emphasizing Sufism, legal traditions, and the interplay between Islam and African decolonization. Wright's fieldwork spans Senegal, Morocco, and Mauritania, utilizing Arabic, French, and Wolof sources.

He is affiliated with Northwestern’s Program of African Studies (PAS), Institute for the Study of Islamic Thought in Africa (ISITA), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) program. Teaching includes courses on Islam in Africa, medieval Muslim empires, and African liberation struggles. Notable awards include the 2020 Northwestern University Provost Grant and a 2008-2009 Fulbright-Hays Dissertation Research Grant.

Wright’s publications include Realizing Islam: The Tijaniyya in North Africa and the Eighteenth-Century Muslim World (2020) and Living Knowledge in West African Islam (2015). His research explores Islamic revivalist networks, medieval West African empires, and the role of Sufi scholars in shaping African history. Recent work addresses transcontinental Islamic scholarly exchanges and the evolution of esoteric knowledge systems.