colonial notebook

Evidence

"This article examines an esoteric text entitled Duʿa ̄ʾ al-Saba ̄ sib al-Sabʿa (Prayer of the Seven Deserts/Wastelands) copied onto a colonial notebook in Zanzibar, probably sometime in the 1930s."

Remarks

The research focuses on the 'materiality of the copy' (p. 1046), specifically analyzing a prayer text, the Duʿa ̄ʾ al-Saba ̄ sib al-Sabʿa, which was transcribed into a mass-produced 'colonial notebook' instead of a traditional manuscript format. This choice of support illustrates the transition of Islamic 'manuscript tradition' within the context of 'print culture' (p. 1046) in 20th-century Zanzibar. The author suggests this material choice is significant for understanding the text as part of a living tradition or a curated ethnographic piece (p. 1046). The notebook is associated with the 1930s interwar period.