The UCLA Program on Central Asia (PoCA), established in 2008, is led by the Asia Pacific Center (APC) and directed by Professor Domenico Ingenito (Near Eastern Languages and Cultures).

Mission Statement

The UCLA Program on Central Asia (PoCA) promotes the interdisciplinary and interregional study of Central Asia and the regions that surround it, including Western China, the Himalayas, Russia and eastern Europe, South Asia, and the Persianate world. PoCA serves as an ‘intellectual crossroads’ for scholars working on India, China, the Middle East, and Europe to exchange ideas with specialists on Central Asia and advance scholarship and understanding of the region. PoCA sponsors guest speaker series and conferences, the Central Asia Workshop for students and faculty, and courses on Central Asian studies and languages.

The Central Asia Workshop was established in 2011 as an interdisciplinary working group that supports the research of graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars from diverse fields who are interested in Central Asia. The group welcomes participants from a wide range of historical periods and disciplines whose interests lie in this broad and diverse region, including but not limited to History, Geography, Religious Studies, Classical Studies, Literature, Sociology, Anthropology, Archaeology, Philosophy, and Ethnomusicology. The workshop meets biweekly throughout the academic year. UCLA students who attend all workshops in a quarter can receive 2 units of course credit by enrolling in Central Asian Studies: Discipline, Methods, Debates (History M287/Anthropology M287/NELC M287).