Dr. Babacar Mbengue teaches Islamic studies and history at DePaul University for its Islamic World Studies Program and History and Religious Studies Departments. He also teaches Islam & politics and international relations at Loyola University Chicago. He received his PhD in Arabic and Islamic studies, graduating with distinction from Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar, Senegal, and has earned degrees from various institutions including Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris and Cambridge University. 

He was also a Fulbright scholar with residence at Loyola University Chicago.His fields of research include Islam in Africa, Islamic banking and finance, Islamic law of contract, Islam and politics, world history, and international relations. He has taught at numerous institutions including the University of Dakar, Senegal, and Oakton College in the Chicago suburbs. Fluent in Arabic, Wolof, French and English, Dr. Mbengue is an experienced translator and interpreter and has also written many articles. One of his most recent publications is “Islam in Africa,” a chapter in the book An Introduction to Islam in the 21st Century edited by Aminah Beverly McCloud, Scott W. Hibbard, and Laith Saud (Wiley-Blackwell, 2013). 

He is a member of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA), the American Academy of Religion (AAR), and the African Studies Association (ASA).