CHESTERTOWN — The Bookplate is continuing its series of author lectures on Wednesday, June 11 with Chris Filstrup, who will discuss his new book, “The Turban: A History from East to West,” at the Sultana Education Foundation’s Lawrence Wetlands Preserve.
The event, which gets underway at 6 p.m., is free and open to the public — though reservations are strongly recommended by calling The Bookplate at 410-778-4167 or email contact@thebookplate.net.
This is an opportunity to “unravel the fascinating history of the turban,” from its origins to its religious uses and its appearance in contemporary fashion and culture.
A turban is a strip of cloth folded and wrapped around the head; however, this description includes multifarious forms of the garment across space and time.
Filstrup’s book follows the turban as it moves from the Arabian Peninsula through the Ottoman Empire to Europe and the Americas, and from traditional and religious uses into the realms of international trade, Renaissance art and contemporary fashions.
“Turbans, as this book shows, have moved in and out of Western culture, at times archaic and forgotten, then noticed and reinstated as major accessories,” a news release states.
Today Sikh men are recognized by their distinctive headwraps, while the turban remains an important part of Black culture.
This book explores the turban’s many adaptations worldwide.
Filstrup is a former chief of the Oriental Division at the New York Public Library and dean of libraries at Stony Brook University.
He now lives in Alexandria, Virginia.
As a reminder: The Lawrence Wetlands Preserve is a walk-in facility (no onsite parking) located at 301 South Mill St. in downtown Chestertown. Guests are encouraged to park in the public lots in the 300-block of Cannon Street or on the surrounding streets, or they may be dropped off at the gate to the preserve.