His research interests include 20th century African American history, gender and sexuality studies, and black cultural studies. He is co-editor of The Iconic Obama, 2007-2009: Essays on Media Representations of the Candidate and New President (2012). He is currently writing Obscene Material, a book examining black girlhood and scandal in 1919 Washington, D.C. Carter is also a member of the Queering Slavery Working Group. This interdisciplinary scholarly collective uses Tumblr to place black queer studies in conversation with the history of enslavement.