Event Detail
Interdisciplinary Textile Studies Workshop: Past, Future, Potential
Workshop Date: 4 March 2022
Application Deadline: 15 January 2022
Organizers: Ivana Jevtić (Koç University) and Amanda Phillips (University of Virginia)
We are pleased to call for applications from current graduate students to attend a workshop about textile studies, taking place on Friday March 4 2022 in Istanbul. The one-day event focuses on material from the eastern Mediterranean, with a specific aim of spurring dialogue across periods and disciplines, as well as the immense potential of studying textiles in Turkish collections. Please see below / the end of this message for details on eligibility and application.
Textiles were the second-most traded commodity in world history, second only to grain. In the eastern Mediterranean, silks feature as chief items of display in both Byzantine and Ottoman courts, woolens were worn by soldiers, peasants, and clerics alike, and townsfolk signalled their status and affiliations with expensive clothing, furnishings, and other accoutrements. Work in the textile sector encompassed expert designers, weavers, and tailors, as well as dyers, spinners, and amateur embroiderers. Across the region, men and women raised goats and sheep, and wore woolens, and bought, sold, traded, and re-used cloth both plain and fancy. While textiles shaped life and experience across time and place, they are not often the subject of serious, sustained engagement. This workshop aims to re-center textiles and to showcase the potentials for interdisciplinary study by bringing together academics, curators, professionals, and students.
The workshop is sponsored by the Barakat Trust for Islamic Art with the support of Koç University’s Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (ANAMED), the Koç University Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Late Antique and Byzantine Studies (GABAM), and the American Research Institute in Türkiye’s (ARIT) Istanbul branch.
The workshop will be in Turkish and English, with live translation during the Q&A as necessary.
How to Apply
This event is in-person only and space is limited to ten participants. To apply, please send the following information as a single Word or PDF document, to textileworkshopistanbul2022@gmail.com by 15 January 2022.
(1) Your name
(2) Your university and graduate program affiliation
(3) The name of one professor with whom you are working who can attest to your enrollment and progress in the program
(4) A CV, two pages maximum
(5) In a paragraph of about 200 words, please describe any experience you have studying or working with textiles and material culture of any type, including classes, short or summer programs, field or labwork, internships, or other relevant experience.
(6) In a paragraph of about 300 words, please explain why you would like to participate in the workshop, what you hope to learn, and how it relates to your overall formation as a student and/or future academic or professional.
***Covid 19 precautions: Please be aware that all participants must submit proof of full vaccination status upon their acceptance. Thank you for your understanding.
Applicants will receive notification by the beginning of February 2022.
We are grateful to Hayriye Bilici for her help with translations from English to Turkish.