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Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University

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Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University

The Department of Central Eurasian Studies offers unique area studies programs, emphasizing language proficiency and area studies courses.

Central Eurasia, the home of some of the world's greatest art, epic literature, and empires, is the vast heartland of Europe and Asia extending from Central Europe to East Asia and from Siberia to the Himalayas. The Department of Central Eurasian Studies at Indiana University took its present name in 1993. It was founded as an Army Specialized Training Program for Central Eurasian languages in 194

3, then formally organized as the Program in Uralic and Altaic Studies (from 1956 to 1965) and later the Department of Uralic and Altaic Studies (from 1965 to 1993). The Department has long been one of the world's leading centers of academic expertise on Central Eurasia as well as the sole independent degree-granting academic unit staffed with its own faculty of specialists. The Eurasian heartland, which has played a seminal role in the development of both Europe and Asia, is still insufficiently explored by modern scholars. The Department of Central Eurasian Studies offers a unique area studies program, emphasizing language proficiency and a thorough grounding in indigenous cultures. Our program provides students with the means to study in depth a region of specialization in the Central Eurasian area through mastery of one or more languages as well as the history and culture of a given region by means of a multidisciplinary approach. The graduate degree program combines two key features: (1) a Language of Specialization (LOS), which gives students access to the chosen culture through the voices of its people; and (2) a Region of Specialization (ROS), which includes courses on various aspects of the chosen culture. In addition, while becoming familiar with various disciplinary approaches to the study of Central Eurasia, students are strongly encouraged to provide depth to their studies by thoroughly assimilating the methodology of a single discipline. The undergraduate degree program allows students to pursue one of two tracks: (1) Language and Civilization Track; and (2) Central Eurasian Track. The Department's programs offer exciting possibilities for study and research as well as wide-ranging opportunities for careers in academia, government, and international business.

04/21/2026

The Department of Central Eurasian Studies provides immersive language study, global research, and real-world engagement with Central Eurasia. From the Baltic Sea to Central Europe and Anatolia, and from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia and Mongolia, IU students and scholars are preserving languages, cultures, and histories that rarely make headlines but matter deeply for global understanding.

This IU Day, your gift can sustain this work and expand opportunities in Central Eurasian studies.

Support the Department of Central Eurasian Studies here!
https://give.myiu.org/crowdfunding/I380008748-CF.html...

Your contributions provide vital resources across our programs and can help support student research and preserve the diverse cultures of Central Eurasia.

Help us reach 75% of our goal by April 22 to unlock an additional $250 of funding. Plus, if this is your first gift to IU, it will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $500 – doubling your impact! Also, 10 first-time donors will be chosen at random to earn an additional $1,000 for the fund of their choice.

04/16/2026

This IU Day, your gift can sustain this work and expand opportunities in Central Eurasian studies.

The Department of Central Eurasian Studies provides immersive language study, global research, and real-world engagement with Central Eurasia. From the Baltic Sea to Central Europe and Anatolia, and from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia and Mongolia, IU students and scholars are preserving languages, cultures, and histories that rarely make headlines but matter deeply for global understanding.

Support the Department of Central Eurasian Studies here!
https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgive.myiu.org%2Fcrowdfunding%2FI380008748-CF.html%3F%26src%3DIUB_HLS_IUDay2026_CEUS_SocialMedia&data=05%7C02%7Cjsmith23%40iu.edu%7C596e0f74023a4353cc3c08de93936b89%7C1113be34aed14d00ab4bcdd02510be91%7C1%7C0%7C639110458536801695%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=v4xlBgQUchyfvS%2FhlbDC9L7EObh3ncr6v9lF6741dLI%3D&reserved=0

Your contributions provide vital resources across our programs and can help support student research and preserve the diverse cultures of Central Eurasia.

Help us reach 75% of our goal by April 22 to unlock an additional $250 of funding. Plus, if this is your first gift to IU, it will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $500 – doubling your impact! Also, 10 first-time donors will be chosen at random to earn an additional $1,000 for the fund of their choice.

04/14/2026

The Department of Central Eurasian Studies recently participated in IU’s First Thursdays event on the Fine Arts Plaza. First Thursdays showcase the diversity of arts and humanities at IU Bloomington and offer a welcoming environment for students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore new creative outlets.

CEUS Languages and the Club of Mongolian Enthusiasts offered fun and educational activities to highlight the areas of Central Eurasia. Kyrgyz Fulbright Teaching Assistant Adina Daniiar Kyzy taught Kyrgyz dance and games, and Hungarian Fulbright Teaching Assistant Henriett Papp had people solve the Rubik’s cube and test their knowledge of Hungary in a Kahoot quiz. Graduate student John Greenbaum introduced his collection of Uyghur coins. Undergraduate student Luke Jackson helped people write their names in Tibetan, and graduate student Joshua Sims did the same with Mongolian script. Persian Professor Narges Nematollahi treated everyone to delicious tea and taught about Nowruz. Uyghur Instructor Gulnisa Nazarova stopped by with some Uyghur guests, as well as Mongolian Instructor Tserenchunt Legden.

04/13/2026

The Department of Central Eurasian Studies provides immersive language study, global research, and real-world engagement with Central Eurasia. From the Baltic Sea to Central Europe and Anatolia, and from the Persian Gulf to Central Asia and Mongolia, IU students and scholars are preserving languages, cultures, and histories that rarely make headlines but matter deeply for global understanding. This IU Day, your gift can sustain this work and expand opportunities in Central Eurasian studies.

Support the Department of Central Eurasian Studies here!
https://give.myiu.org/crowdfunding/I380008748-CF.html?&src=IUB_HLS_IUDay2026_CEUS_SocialMedia

Your contributions provide vital resources across our programs and can help support student research and preserve the diverse cultures of Central Eurasia.

Help us reach 75% of our goal by April 22 to unlock an additional $250 of funding. Plus, if this is your first gift to IU, it will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $500 – doubling your impact! Also, 10 first-time donors will be chosen at random to earn an additional $1,000 for the fund of their choice.

04/09/2026

On April 2, we hosted London-based Uyghur poet Aziz Isa Elkun, author of Imprisoned Souls: Poems of Uyghur Prisoners in China (Hertfordshire Press, 2025). Elkun, a member of English PEN and PEN America and President of the Uyghur PEN Centre, engaged with faculty and students throughout the day.

The visit included a lunch sponsored by CEUS, a student session introducing his books, and a lecture on Uyghur literature highlighting poets currently imprisoned. The program also featured a campus tour and concluded with a dinner generously sponsored by Marco & Polo Eurasian Cuisine.

03/23/2026

On February 27th, the annual Estonian Evening brought together faculty, students and guests to celebrate the 108th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia (Feb. 24) and the ongoing Year of the Estonian Book.

Organized by IU Baltic and Finnish Studies Association and IU Estonian students, with sponsorship of CEUS and IAUNRC, and under the leadership of CEUS' Dr. Piibi-Kai Kivik, our Senior Lecturer for Estonian, the evening featured poetry recitals, music, traditional Estonian food and conversations.

To mark the Year of the Estonian Book (500 years since the first book in Estonian language), IU Librarians Veronika Trotter and Akram Habibulla had put together a pop-up exhibition from the substantial collection of Estonian literature housed at Wells Library. Guests could see originals and translations into English and other languages, including the national epic and a book of poetry by the first Estonian poet as well as very recent publications. Literature and language were the themes of this year’s program. Long before the Estonian language became a written and literary language, there was the ancient folklore tradition that has come down to us in songs and stories.

The program opened with a folk song in South Estonian, performed by the IU Slavic Choir and BaFSA singers, lead by Iryna Voloshyna.

BaFSA current president Claire Kinderwater recited a folk verse about the words that cats in Häädemeeste parish used to purr, taking us back to the times when even animals knew Estonian.

Ryan McCrea and Jack Rosswurm read verses from the 1800s that exhorted the Estonian language aspiring to become a language of poetry and fiction and breaking free from the dominance of German.

Claire then took us to the present time with Kristina Ehin’s poem where children speaking Estonian and Russian (Claire studies both at IU) overcome the language gap to build their playground tower.

Multilingualism and foreign languages were also prominent in a poem by translator and poetess Ly Seppel. We recruited help from guests for this recital, and the CEUS Chair Oner Ozcelik, a Turkish linguist and our Finnish instructor Jeanne McGill read the Turkish and Finnish parts.

The program concluded with Jack reading from the 1918 Declaration of Independence, the “Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia,“ which, naturally. concludes with poetry, the final verse of the national anthem.

The evening proceeded with lively conversations (in various languages), meeting new people and old friends, and trying some traditional Estonian food.

03/12/2026

On Saturday, February 28, 2026, the Association of Central Eurasian Students (ACES), the graduate student organization of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies (CEUS), successfully hosted the 32nd Annual ACES Conference at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, Indiana University Bloomington, in a hybrid format.

This year’s conference brought together 37 panelists from 14 universities across seven countries, creating a vibrant space for scholarly exchange on a wide range of topics related to Central Eurasian studies. Throughout the day, participants engaged in lively discussions on themes including history, language, religion, politics, and contemporary social transformations across the Central Eurasian region.

The conference featured multiple panels covering diverse research topics. Each panel reflected the interdisciplinary nature of the conference and highlighted the breadth of current scholarship in the field.

We are deeply grateful to all panelists, discussants, and attendees whose thoughtful presentations, comments, and questions made this conference both stimulating and productive. Their contributions fostered meaningful dialogue and strengthened connections among scholars working on Central Eurasia across different disciplines and regions.

ACES would also like to thank the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies, the Center for the Study of the Middle East, the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, and the Islamic Studies Program at Indiana University for their continued support of this annual event.

The success of the 32nd ACES Conference would not have been possible without the dedication of our organizers, volunteers, and participants. We look forward to continuing this tradition of scholarly exchange and to welcoming everyone again at future ACES conferences.

03/11/2026

The Hungarian Cultural Association, with the support of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, hosted a Farsang (Spring Welcoming Carnival) on February 27 at the Monroe County Public Library Southwest Branch Teaching Kitchen, under the leadership of our Hungarian FLTA, Henriett Papp.

The event celebrated the Hungarian tradition of saying goodbye to winter and welcoming spring with costumes, crafts, and traditional foods. Attendees enjoyed mask-making, fresh Hungarian donuts (fánk), and a potluck-style gathering in a festive carnival atmosphere.

The association also thanked FLTA Henriett Papp for organizing the event and community member Orsi Kun for preparing the popular homemade fánk.

03/10/2026

On Monday, February 23, 2026, IU held a celebration to mark Tibetan Losar (New Year), the year of the fire horse, which fell on February 18 this year. This is the year 2153 in the Tibetan calendar. Gedun Rabsal from the Department of Central Eurasian Studies introduced Minyak Rinpoche, the current director of the Tibetan and Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center (TMBCC), and Tenpa Phuntsok, TMBCC’s manager, who opened the celebration with prayers for an auspicious year. Eveline Washul from the Department of Central Eurasian Studies continued a tradition started by Professor György Kara for Mongolian New Year and Professor Elliot Sperling for Tibetan New Year of noting historical events that happened in each year of the fire horse up to the present. Öner Özçelik, Chair of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, remarked on the unique history of Tibetan Studies at IU, with this year marking the 60th anniversary of when the 14th Dalai Lama’s eldest brother, Takster Rinpoche Thupten Jigme Norbu, was invited to IU and began teaching here. In attendance were Takster Rinpoche’s family, his sons Lhundup Norbu and Kunga Norbu, and daughter-in-law, Terry Norbu. Members from the Tibetan community of Bloomington, which included IU students, performed traditional Tibetan New Year’s songs and the gathered attendees helped themselves to a delicious spread of Tibetan momos, noodles, tea, and special new year’s pastries and sweet rice prepared by Anyetsang’s Little Tibet Restaurant. The event concluded with attendees joining members of the Bloomington Tibetan community in a lively circle dance that wound around the entire atrium floor.

The event was made possible through the co-sponsorship of the Central Eurasian Studies Department, the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center, the East Asian Studies Center, the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, and the Center for the Study of Global Change.

03/06/2026

The Mongolian Lunar New Year (Tsagaan Sar) celebration, organized annually by the Mongolia Society at Indiana University, the Department of Central Eurasian Studies, the Mongolian Student Association at IU, and the Bloomington Mongolian Community, was held on February 14 at the Ferguson International Center. The event opened with welcoming remarks by Öner Özҫelik, Chair of the Department of Central Eurasian Studies; Susie Drost, Executive Director of the Mongolia Society; and Ayalguu Unensaikhan, President of the Mongolian Student Association at IU.

Daniel Cotter began the cultural program with a melody on the morin khuur (Mongolian horsehead fiddle). Mongolian language students performed the Mongolian folk song “Цагаан сар,” the Buryat folk song “Алтаргана,” and the Kalmyk folk song “Ээжийн дуун.” Joshua Sims and Anton Ermakov recited spring-themed poems in Khalkha Mongolian and Buryat, along with their own English translations. Ochmaa Dahszegve also performed Mongolian folk songs on the Mongolian zither (yatga). Participants also performed the traditional dance “Журай гэлдэн” and presented a fashion show featuring traditional Mongolian clothing.

There was plenty of food and drink, including Mongolian milk tea, khuushuur (fried pastries), and buuz (Mongolian dumplings). Participants enjoyed an afternoon of Mongolian music, poetry, and cultural celebration.

Address

School Of Global & International Studies/GA 3024 (East Building, Third Floor)
Bloomington, IN
47405

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 4pm
Tuesday	8am - 4pm
Wednesday	8am - 4pm
Thursday	8am - 4pm
Friday	8am - 4pm

Telephone

+18128552233

Website

http://ceus.indiana.edu/

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