Parsi theatre, which emerged in Bombay in the mid-nineteenth century, was a specifically ‘modern’ form of performing art that was informed by factors as diverse (but historically interrelated) as the British imperialisation of India, the development of capitalism in India, the Parsis’ Persian historical heritage and the wider cultural environment of India. Assuming a public cultural role that was well out of proportion to the Parsis’ extreme minority status in India, Parsi theatre soon transcended its origins in the Parsi community and became an important generic category of popular public entertainment in late-imperial South Asia. This generic categorisation has led to many conceptualisations of ‘Parsi theatre’ which ignore the Parsi origins of Parsi theatre altogether. However, the specifically Parsi origins of Parsi theatre, in the public space which Parsis played a major part in constructing in nineteenth century Bombay, enable us, while at the same time avoiding an excessively ‘ethnographic’ approach, to identify the originative characteristics of Parsi theatre that inform its powerful legacy in South Asian cultural history. In particular, it is the characteristic ‘theatricality’ of Parsi theatre that enables it to act as a mediated representation of self-identity in the public space of modern South Asia. / The eclectic cultural economy of Parsi theatre has given it a ‘hybrid’ guise, enabling it to frame many different aspects of public space in modern South Asia. The continuing legacy of Parsi theatre in this respect can be seen in its cultural successor, the popular Indian cinema, in which a publicly-mediated representation of ‘community as nation’ has been constructed. However, the ‘hybridity’ of Parsi theatre is a publicly-mediated representation of specific historical conditions such as imperialism and capitalism, informed by Parsi theatre’s characteristic sense of theatricality, rather than a representation of a hybrid sense of self-identity (whether of the Parsi community itself or of the broader South Asian community/nation). This enables us to develop a critique of the notion of ‘hybridity’ as it has been denoted in postcolonial theory, and to question the intimate, essential ‘hybridisation of self’ that marks the postcolonial conception of the term. Postcolonial theory’s emphasis on the process and experience of ‘colonisation’ is countered in this critique by the processes of ‘imperialisation’ and ‘capitalisation’ and the active response to them on the part of Parsi theatre’s community. In this way, a greater sense of subjectivity and agency can be attributed to the historical actors in question, and the resilience of the South Asian cultural economy in the face of ‘global’ historical processes can be duly recognised.

Zoroastrianism was founded by the prophet Zarathushtra ca 1400 to 1200 BCE and is generally acknowledged as the world's oldest monotheistic and revealed religion. It dominated three great Iranian empires, and influenced Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and Mahayana Buddhism. At one point in time, their numbers surely seemed limitless. Today, however, roughly 150,000 Zoroastrians are scattered all over the globe in very small numbers. The faith is at a crossroads, and its very existence is threatened. This is an examination of the decline and subsequent change of this previously influential and vital religion. Zoroastrians have been able to maintain the major tenets of their practices and beliefs without much interruption for millennia. However, with more and more Zoroastrians moving into the global economy and the Western culture, secularization, modernity, and loss of an extensive, immediate community are causing new beliefs to be adopted and/or advanced by some of the faith. This shift in beliefs and values is causing disunity among members of the faith. Today Zoroastrian communities are on all inhabited continents and many different countries within those continents. This has forced the Zoroastrian communities worldwide into introspection, definition, and clarification. Contemporary Zoroastrians differ over how to keep their beloved faith alive and how to best remain true to its heritage and sustain its "purity." There are currently two substantial efforts to maintain the identity of Zoroastrianism, characteristically reflecting an orthodox and a liberal approach. As criteria for evaluating the Zoroastrianism of modern day, I will utilize Steve Bruce's discussions of secularizations and its effects on religions as reasons for the current changes of the Zoroastrian faith. I will also explore the meaning of ethnicity as related to religion as provided by Ebaugh and Chafetz for a prediction for the future of the faith. Zoroastrians worldwide must acknowledge the cultural differences that exist in their one faith-and the subsequent needs there of-if they are going to organize and map a course of survival.

abstract: Puerto Rican composers Hector Campos Parsi (1922-1998) and Jack Delano (1914-1997) form an integral part of the nationalistic school of composition that revolutionized the island during the mid to late twentieth century. They both sought to combine Western Classical composition techniques with folkloric and traditional musical elements from Puerto Rico. In doing so, not only did they transform the way Western Classical music was made on the island, but they also brought validation and recognition to Puerto Rico’s culture as well as folkloric and popular musical heritage. Furthermore, both of these composers wrote works for violin and piano that form an important part of Puerto Rico’s musical legacy. This research document presents biographical studies of both composers, as well as studies of Hector Campos Parsi’s Sonatina No. 2 for Violin and Piano, and Jack Delano’s Sonata for Violin and Piano. In addition, this document includes the first ever printed edition of Jack Delano’s Sonata for Violin and Piano, as well as a copy of the out of print Peermusic edition of Campos Parsi’s Sonatina No. 2 for Violin and Piano. This document also presents detailed charts of discrepancies and corrections to both scores. With the gathering and presentation of this biographical and musical information, this research document seeks to bring international recognition to two important Puerto Rican nationalistic composers, Hector Campos Parsi and Jack Delano; spark an interest in their two little-known works for violin and piano (Campos Parsi’s Sonatina No.2 for Violin and Piano and Jack Delano’s Sonata for Violin and Piano); as well as make these two works more accessible to performers, educators, and the general public alike. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Music 2018

The present work examines the debate about the permissibility of conversion in the Parsi community of India. It explores the historical development of the debate with a focus on the main groups and their ideologies. It shows that both of the sides of the debate aimed to formulate their convictions in a Westernized language for a greater social prestige, while in both cases largely preserving the traditional endogamic rules in practice.

The present work examines the debate about the permissibility of conversion in the Parsi community of India. It explores the historical development of the debate with a focus on the main groups and their ideologies. It shows that both of the sides of the debate aimed to formulate their convictions in a Westernized language for a greater social prestige, while in both cases largely preserving the traditional endogamic rules in practice.

For centuries, fire has been a sacred symbol from the eastern cultures to western regions. As one of the four states of matter, fire represents the great essence in our daily lives as an energy source with its warmth, light and aura, kindling feelings of truth and spirituality within us. In his poetic verses, fire was venerated by Zoroaster who led mankind to believe that there is one supreme lord that we may follow; a being that can only be known by the quest for truth (Asha). For Zoroaster truth was symbolic with fire as it brought people together in prayer. With the passage of time fire became consecrated in different orders with the higher ones being placed within covered buildings for protection. These buildings became temples of fire or Fire Temples where an eternal flame was kept and looked after by a priest so as to keep alive the salvation of humankind and continue our journey towards righteousness with the blessings of the supreme. With this, faith stayed alive as long as the Fire burned. Herein lies my celebration of fire where I announce it to the follower on the path to truth as an eternal flame burning, yet resting in a place worthy of all its glory; an ambiance created to venerate the flame and reassure the traveler that its light has more to offer than meets the eye. / Master of Architecture

In the Path of the Prophet: Medieval and Early Modern Narratives of the Life of Zarathustra in Islamic Iran and Western India is a historical study of the discursive practices by which Zoroastrians struggled to define their communal identity through constructions of the central figure of their religion. I argue that Zoroastrians adopted cosmopolitan religious vocabularies from the Islamicate and Sanskritic literary traditions for a world in which they were no longer a dominant political force. Contrary to much scholarship, which characterizes medieval Zoroastrian thought as stagnant, I contend that literary production in this period reveals extraordinary intellectual engagement among Zoroastrians endeavoring to make meaning of their ancient religious traditions in a rapidly changing world. The essays of my dissertation focus on four moments in Zoroastrian intellectual history. I begin with an analysis of the thirteenth century Persian Zarātushtnāma (The Book of Zarathustra), examining interactions between Zoroastrian theology and prophetology and contemporary Islamic thought, focusing on the role that miracles played in medieval Zoroastrian conceptions of prophethood. In my next essay, I explore questions of identity, orthodoxy and heterodoxy by investigating a group of Zoroastrian mystics who migrated from Safavid Persia to Mughal India around the seventeenth century. Influenced by the Illuminationist school of Islamic philosophy, they left behind a body of texts which blur religious boundaries. In my third essay, I examine the earliest literary compositions in the Gujarati language about the life of Zarathustra, employing theoretical discussions of literary cosmopolitanism and vernacularization to trace how Zoroastrian stories were reimagined by Indian Zoroastrians (Parsis) to fit Indo-Persian and Sanskritic discursive conventions. Finally, I look at the ways in which Zoroastrian prophetology was transformed through the experience of colonial modernity, focusing especially on the role of the printing press and the creation of a literate public sphere. I argue that the formation of a Parsi colonial consciousness was an experience of loss and recovery, in which traditional Persianate forms of knowledge were replaced by newly introduced sciences of philology, ethnology, and archaeology, fundamentally reshaping the Parsi conception of their religion and religious boundaries. / Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations

abstract: Puerto Rico has produced many important composers who have contributed to the musical culture of the nation during the last 200 years. However, a considerable amount of their music has proven to be difficult to access and may contain numerous errors. This research project intends to contribute to the accessibility of such music and to encourage similar studies of Puerto Rican music. This study focuses on the music of Héctor Campos Parsi (1922-1998), one of the most prominent composers of the 20th century in Puerto Rico. After an overview of the historical background of music on the island and the biography of the composer, four works from his art song repertoire are given for detailed examination. A product of this study is the first corrected edition of his cycles Canciones de Cielo y Agua, Tres Poemas de Corretjer, Los Paréntesis, and the song Majestad Negra. These compositions date from 1947 to 1959, and reflect both the European and nationalistic writing styles of the composer during this time. Data for these corrections have been obtained from the composer's manuscripts, published and unpublished editions, and published recordings. The corrected scores are ready for publication and a compact disc of this repertoire, performed by soprano Melliangee Pérez and the author, has been recorded to bring to life these revisions. Despite the best intentions of the author, the various copyright issues have yet to be resolved. It is hoped that this document will provide the foundation for a resolution and that these important works will be available for public performance and study in the near future. / Dissertation/Thesis / D.M.A. Music 2013