Ian F. Hancock Roma Research Archive and Culture Center is founded by the Roma Education Folklore Culture and Sports Club Association with the funding of the EU Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights program. The aims of the Center can be listed as follows;

  • Creating a memory for the Roma by gathering all the printed, visual, audio and artistic materials related to the Roma from the past to the present.
  • Putting these materials in use by systematic regulation.
  • Providing accurate and systematic knowledge about the origins, race, history, language, and culture of Roma in a way to replace the misleading and false knowledge that is being circulated widely in society so far.
  • Sharing the works of Center on the reconstruction of the Roma identity with Roma NGOs and increasing the advocacy capacity of Roma civil society in Turkey through building their own identity.

Our center is named after by Prof. Dr. Ian F. Hancock.  The center is named after with his name in his 75th anniversary because of his efforts of 45 years and his epoch-making works in the field of Roma history and culture. He is considered the most respected person in the field of Roma studies.

The works of our center are carried out by a scientific committee consisting of Roma and non-Roman academics who have knowledge and researches in the field of Roma. This committee is chaired by Mr. Orhan Galjus who is the president of the Assembly of the International Romani Union and the vice-president of the European Romani Union. Adem Ademi, an expert trainer and a very knowledgeable person on the Romani movement in Europe and Balkans is the General Secretary of the committee. Our committee consists of the following members;

Prof. Dr. Ian F. Hancock, University of Texas

Prof. Dr. Marcel Courthiade, INALCO Institute, Sorbonne University

Prof. Dr. İlber Ortaylı, Galatasaray University

Prof. Dr. Hyristo Kyuchukov, University of Poland

Prof. Dr. Santino Spinelli, University of Lanciano

Assoc. Dr. Neriman Açıkalın, Mersin University

Our center carries out its work on five-year strategic plans and will bring forth the true and new knowledge about Roma studies in the future and make Roma earn the respect they deserve by breaking the prejudices about Roma.