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Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad Humayun (1508-1556), simply known as Humayun, was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire in India. He is often known with a discredited image in history even though recent investigations show a new, different, and regenerated perspective about him. This reconsideration is in relation to the philosophical, syncretic, and artistic pursuits and the spiritual heritage that he transmitted, which came to impact and define Mughal tradition and culture overall. Accordingly,  this thesis has on one hand the purpose to analyse and expose the not so much known “occult sciences” of Humayun, known as ‘ulum-i ghariba, which are defined in relation to their appliances and historical contexts, especially in relation to Sufism and Arabic Hermeticism. They are moreover explored in how they were experienced in the imperial administration of the early Mughal court. On the other hand, these “occult sciences” of Humayun are analysed and discussed in relation to the definitions of Western esotericism and practices of Renaissance Hermeticism as taught by Antoine Faivre, whose theory is employed for this thesis. The method used for this investigation combines a qualitative text analysis and a specific empirical approach with diachronic and synchronic applications. The result of this research shows that the “occult sciences” of Humayun help to define and confirm a wider study field of “comparative esotericism”, which goes beyond the borders of the Western culture, and which is found with its unique interpretations as an esoteric expression within Islam, and specifically at the dawn of the Mughal tradition.

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Rhetorics of globalization are best understood through the concept of risk. This dissertation traces the history of contemporary globalization back to the encounters of the English East India Company (EIC) from the seventeenth through eighteenth centuries with foreign trading cultures through primary journals, records, and guidebooks. I also contrast the EIC approach with the <i>sulh-i-kull</i> approach of the Mughal Empire. I conclude that the EIC cultivated risk to override ethical considerations of the Other, invent the private sphere, and lay the bedrock of contemporary capitalism.

This thesis examines the Persian ghazal poetry of Mirza Ghalib. It does so in the light of the corpus of critical literature in Urdu, Persian, and English that concerns both the poetry of Ghalib as well as the poetry of the so-called “Indian Style” of Persian poetry. Poems by Ghalib and his literary forebears, including Fighani, Naziri, ‘Urfi, Zuhuri, Sa’ib, and Bedil are offered in translation; critical commentary follows each text. The thesis explicates the ways in which each of these authors engaged in an intertextual dialogue, here called javaab-go’ii, or appropriative response-writing, with his forebears, and argues that the dynamics of this intertextual dialogue contribute significantly to the poetry’s aesthetics. These “aesthetics of appropriation” are discussed, analyzed, and evaluated both in the light of Ghalib’s writings on literary influence and Persian poetics, as well as in the light of the aforementioned corpus of critical literature. / text

Le présent travail porte sur les peintures de fleurs produites en Iran et en Inde entre le XVIe et le XVIIIe siècles et destinées à être montées dans des albums alliant peintures et calligraphies. Cette étude s'organise autour de trois axes de recherche. En premier lieu, l'étude de l'évolution des pratiques picturales au sein des ateliers de peinture, ainsi que la mise en évidence des différences formelles entre les centres de production. La taxonomie des peintures de fleurs a permis de mettre en évidence certains régionalismes, mais également des modes de représentation partagés entre l'Iran safavide (1501-1722), afshar (1736-1749) et zānd (1750-1794) d'un côté, et l'Inde moghole (1526-1857) et les cours provinciales de l'autre. Le second axe de recherche est consacré aux échanges entre l'Orient et l'Occident. Plusieurs peintures de fleurs persanes et indiennes sont issues d'herbiers et florilèges, imprimés en Europe à partir du XVe siècle. L'étude de l'apport européen dans ces productions de peintures permet de mettre en évidence les pratiques d'assimilation des formes exogènes par les artistes. Enfin, le troisième axe interroge le rôle tenu par les peintures de fleurs au sein des albums, ou muraqqaʻ. La compilation d'albums est attestée en Iran dès le XVe siècle, et passe vraisemblablement en Inde durant la première moitié du XVIe siècle. Les fleurs s'y déploient progressivement jusqu'à devenir omniprésentes, autant au centre des pages que dans les marges et sur les reliures. Les représentations florales revêtent des symboliques diverses qui sont à mettre en relation avec un abondant corpus poétique, mais également avec les patrons persans, indiens ou européens qui commandent ces précieux volumes. Parmi les conclusions, notons les attributions de dessins anonymes au peintre persan Shafīʻ ʻAbbāsī et une discussion sur les notions de copie et d'interprétation. / This dissertation focuses on flower paintings produced in Persia and India between the 16th and the 18th centuries to be mounted in albums, also called muraqqa'. This study is centered on three research axis. First, pictorial practices are analyzed, as well as the general evolution of floral forms on album pages. The taxonomic approach on flower paintings led to highlight regionalisms, but also depiction modes shared between Safavid (1501-1722), Afsharid (1736-1749) and Zand (1750-1794) Persia on one hand, and Mughal India (1526-1857) and Indian provincial courts on the other. The second line of research focuses on cultural and artistic exchanges between the East and the West. Many Persian and Indian flower paintings are copied from European printed herbaria and florilegia from the 15th century. The study of European input on these productions highlights assimilation practices of foreign forms. The third axis questions the role held by flower paintings in albums, or muraqqa'. From the 15th century, flowers gradually spread to become omnipresent in the center of the pages, in the margins and on the bindings. Floral representations take various symbolic values linked to an abundant poetic corpus, but also to Persian, Indian or European patrons who order these precious volumes. Among the conclusions, this thesis suggests new attributions of anonymous drawings to the Persian painter Shafīʻ ʻAbbāsī, and holds a discussion about concepts of copy and assimilation.

Life, individual and collective, exists in reference to what came before; my research into the life histories of places explores the cultural threads which tie us to places and which allow us to make personal and collective connections between the past and the present. Understanding these life histories helps us understand the value and power historic places have in the world today. This thesis focuses on Mughal caravanserais from northwestern Pakistan, examining how they were initially intended to be used during the Mughal rule of South Asia and how they were reused in the periods that followed (Sikh, Afghani, British, and Pakistani). Caravanserais are walled arcaded buildings where travelers could stop briefly. After the Mughal Empire declined, caravanserais were reused by local people and/or taken over by subsequent governing bodies. Surviving structures are still used today, although their original appearance and functions have been altered to serve new purposes. My research is part of the Caravanserai Networks Project, directed by Dr. Heather Miller, University of Toronto. I develop my survey method through comparative study of two caravanserais, Gor Khuttree and Pakka Khanpur. Using information from architectural survey, historic documents, and photographs, I create three-dimensional architectural models of Gor Khuttree���s occupations. I use access and planning analysis to characterize the use and alteration of the sites��� architecture. Conceptually, I develop a tripartite formation of place: formed, in practice, and in memory. As a multifaceted place, I consider Gor Khuttree���s life history; the occupations, identities, and memories associated with the site through time. The City of Peshawar, central to this research, was at the time of writing in Pakistan���s North West Frontier Province. This province was renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 15th, 2010. This research continues to refer to the province by its former name. This ensures continuity with published documents and the organizational names used by colleagues in Pakistan at the time of research.

Life, individual and collective, exists in reference to what came before; my research into the life histories of places explores the cultural threads which tie us to places and which allow us to make personal and collective connections between the past and the present. Understanding these life histories helps us understand the value and power historic places have in the world today. This thesis focuses on Mughal caravanserais from northwestern Pakistan, examining how they were initially intended to be used during the Mughal rule of South Asia and how they were reused in the periods that followed (Sikh, Afghani, British, and Pakistani). Caravanserais are walled arcaded buildings where travelers could stop briefly. After the Mughal Empire declined, caravanserais were reused by local people and/or taken over by subsequent governing bodies. Surviving structures are still used today, although their original appearance and functions have been altered to serve new purposes. My research is part of the Caravanserai Networks Project, directed by Dr. Heather Miller, University of Toronto. I develop my survey method through comparative study of two caravanserais, Gor Khuttree and Pakka Khanpur. Using information from architectural survey, historic documents, and photographs, I create three-dimensional architectural models of Gor Khuttree’s occupations. I use access and planning analysis to characterize the use and alteration of the sites’ architecture. Conceptually, I develop a tripartite formation of place: formed, in practice, and in memory. As a multifaceted place, I consider Gor Khuttree’s life history; the occupations, identities, and memories associated with the site through time. The City of Peshawar, central to this research, was at the time of writing in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province. This province was renamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 15th, 2010. This research continues to refer to the province by its former name. This ensures continuity with published documents and the organizational names used by colleagues in Pakistan at the time of research.

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