Research and Publications

Charlotte Jirousek

My interest in Turkey is of long standing, going back to an undergraduate study abroad experience in 1959, followed five years later by a five year stay in Turkey with the Peace Corps. It was in this period that I first became aware of textiles. I also became aware of the enormous importance this region has had in the development of Euro-American design, commerce, and culture, and how little most people in this country seem to know about it.

My research has followed two paths. The first is an examination of the interaction of east and west as expressed in textiles and dress. The second has been an attempt to capture the disappearing textile traditions of Turkey before industrialization completely ends these ancient patterns of production and trade. I see my work in the field as an extension of research done by historians of Ottoman textile design and economy. What I am finding is the last traces of networks of production and use that have existed for centuries; in some instances, perhaps for millenia.

The rapid disappearance of the traditional weaving technologies in Turkey creates a great sense of urgency to continue the field studies. This is work that cannot be done from archives, and it is an important adjunct to archival work done by historians. The samples collected, video and slide records, and notes will provide basic data for future researchers long after the looms are abandoned.

The list of research papers below is grouped by topic, with the articles and presentations not related to Turkey listed after those that do.

RESEARCH RELATING TO TURKEY:
Refereed publications

Jirousek, Charlotte. "Clothing." In Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World. Vol. 1. Edited by Richard C. Martin. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004.

Jirousek, Charlotte. AThe Gaziantep Cloth Trade: a Study of a Putting-out System of Cloth Production in Southeastern Turkey.” Proceedings, Seventh Biennial Symposium of the Textile Society of America, September 2000.

Jirousek, Charlotte. “The Transition to Mass Fashion System Dress in the Later Ottoman Empire.” In Consumption Studies and the History of the Ottoman Empire, 1550-1922. Donald Quataert, ed. Albany: State University of New York Press, 2000.

Jirousek, Charlotte; and Abeles-Couillard, Rebecca. "The End of the Silk Road: the Decline of Sericulture in Twentieth Century Turkey." Textile History 29, No. 2 (1998), 201-225.

Jirousek, Charlotte. From "Traditional" to "Mass Fashion System" Dress Among Men in a Rural Turkish Village Clothing and Textiles Research Journal,1997,volume 15, no.4, pp.203-215.

Jirousek, Charlotte. Dress and Social Policy: Change in Women's Dress in a Southwestern Turkish Village. Dress,1997, volume 23, 3-18.

Jirousek, Charlotte. More Than Oriental Splendor: A comparison of Gothic and Ottoman Headgear. Dress, 1995, volume 22, pp.22-33.

Jirousek, Charlotte. Market Effects Upon the Design and Construction of Carpets in the Milas Region of Southwestern Turkey, 1964-1994 Contact, Crossover, Continuity: Proceedings, Textile Society of America, 1994.

Miller, Charlotte Jirousek. Dyes in Rugs from the Milas Area. Hali, 1982, volume iv, no. 3, pp.258-261.

In Press
[ The following chapters are all for inclusion in a refereed book, Turkish popular culture as expressed in dress and textiles, to be published by SUNY Press in 2004 (?)]
  • Jirousek, Charlotte. “Carry it close to your heart: Exchanges of textiles associated with courtship and marriage.”
  • Jirousek, Charlotte. "Finding the Cloth for the Clothes: Traditional Weaving Technologies in Anatolian Turkey."
  • Erdogan, Zeynep.and Jirousek, Charlotte. “Ankara (Angora) goat hair: The Turkish Mohair Tradition.” (C. Jirousek, translation)
  • Kayabasi, Nuran. “Turkish Natural Dyeing Traditions.”(C. Jirousek, translation)
  • Tagi,Sema Özkan. "Transition from Traditional to Modern Dress in a Black Sea Turkish Village."(C. Jirousek, Translation)
  • Tansug, Sabiha. " The Turkish Culture of flowers."(C. Jirousek, Translation)

    Additional Refereed Abstracts Published in Conference Proceedings

    Jirousek, Charlotte; Warner, Patricia. "Imaginary Dress? Invented Drapery? Timeless Costume? Studio Props? Try Turkish." Costume Society of America Annual Symposium, June 2003.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. Textiles of Islam and the West in the Age of Exploration. Proceedings of the Ars Textrina 11th Annual Conference on Textiles , June 1993.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. More than Oriental Splendor: Western Dress and the Levant. Proceedings of the Costume Society of America Annual Conference, San Antonio, Texas, May 1992.

    Invited Presentations
    Jirousek, Charlotte. "Yorgan: Quilts and Quilting in Turkey." Quilts and Beyond, Symposium, Old Deerfield Village Museum, Deerfield MA, September 2003.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. "Turkey Red: An examination of Madder dyeing methods." Region II, Costume Society of America, Alfred New York, October 1995.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. "Dress and Social Policy: Change in Turkish Rural Women's Dress". Gender and Global Change Colloquium, Cornell University, February 27, 1995.

    RESEARCH ON OTHER TOPICS:

    Refereed publications:

    Jirousek, Charlotte. Superstars, Superheroes and the Male Body Image: Some Visual Implications of Football Uniforms. Journal of American Culture, volume 19, no. 2, summer 1996, pp.1-11.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. An Interactive Electronic Design Textbook on the World Wide Web. Computer Applications to Textiles and Apparel, ITAA Monograph #8, 1996, pp.63-70.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. Indigenous Textile Craft Materials in Jamaica: Survivals of Early Dye and Straw Work Industries. Ars Textrina 1992, volume xvii, pp. 87-108.

    Jirousek, Charlotte and Lee W. Rahe. Alabama's Woven Counterpanes: The Other Coverlet. Ars Textrina, 1992, volume xvii, pp. 167-192.

    Refereed Abstracts Published in Conference Proceedings
    Ning Fangjun, Bao Mingxin and Charlotte Jirousek. AThe Credibility Of Costume Figures in Some Of The Murals In The Dunhuang Caves.@ Costume Society of America Annual Symposium, June 2003.

    Greene, Susan; and Jirousek, Charlotte. Determining Dates of Printed Dresses, 1800-1860; Proceedings of the International Textile and Apparel Association; October 21, 1994.

    Greene, Susan; and Jirousek, Charlotte. Prints charming; textiles and dress fabrics, 1800-1865; Costume Society of America, June 1994 .

    Invited Presentations
    Jirousek, Charlotte. The Romance of the Shoe. Sponsored by the Hinckley Foundation and the State of the Art Gallery, Ithaca, New York, July 14, 1994.

    Jirousek, Charlotte. Textile Conservation and Storage. Cornell University Art and Conservation Interest Group. April 28, 1993.

    Charlotte Jirousek
    E-mail: caj7@cornell.edu
    Department of Textiles and Apparel
    319 Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
    Cornell University
    Ithaca, NY 14853
    Phone: 607/255-8064
    Fax: 607/255-1093
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