For nearly twenty years after completing his
Ph.D., Esposito had taught
religious studies (including
Hinduism,
Buddhism, and
Islam) at the
College of the Holy Cross, a
Jesuit college in
Massachusetts. At the College of the Holy Cross, he held the Loyola Professor of Middle East Studies position, was the chair of the Department of Religious Studies, and director of the College of the Holy Cross's Center for International Studies. At
Georgetown University, Esposito holds the position of university professor and teaches as both professor of religion and international affairs and professor of Islamic studies. Esposito completed his doctoral studies under the supervision of the influential Islamic scholar
Isma'il Raji al-Faruqi. Esposito published
Islam and Politics in 1984, and
Islam: The Straight Path in 1988. Both books sold well, going through many editions. In addition to more than 35 books, he is editor-in-chief of a number of Oxford reference works, including
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World,
The Oxford History of Islam,
The Oxford Dictionary of Islam,
The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World (six vols), and
Oxford Islamic Studies Online. Esposito is a Catholic. ==Bibliography==