About

About CeLCAR

Indiana University's Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR) was founded in 2002. One of only sixteen Title VI Foreign Language Resource Centers in the United States, it is the only language resource center of its kind dedicated solely to the research and study of the critical languages of Central Asia and its neighboring regions.

CeLCAR is dedicated to promoting the teaching and learning of the languages and cultures of Central Asia through the development of comprehensive language learning materials, including textbooks, workbooks, phrasebooks, multimedia resources, web and mobile applications, and online courses, along with teacher training, pedagogical workshops, and intensive summer language programs. Currently, CeLCAR focuses on the following less commonly taught languages of Central Asia:

  • Azerbaijani
  • Chuvash
  • Dari
  • Dungan
  • Kazakh
  • Kurmanji-Kurdish
  • Kyrgyz
  • Mongolian
  • Pashto
  • Sorani-Kurdish
  • Tatar
  • Tajiki
  • Tibetan
  • Turkish
  • Turkmen
  • Uyghur
  • Uzbek

CeLCAR's major sources of funding are the US Department of Education, IU's Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, and the National Security Education Program (NSEP).

Our mission at CeLCAR is to foster interest in and knowledge of Central Asian languages and their cultures while meeting strategic national needs.