Sepia Mutiny - Social Context

Social Context

Sepia Mutiny discussed issues facing first and second generation immigrants from the Indian subcontinent. The goal of the site was in effect to capture the position of the Indian-American diaspora as it emigrates to foreign nations and primarily North America. Sepia Mutiny had become a focal point of discussion for Desis on the Internet in the United States and, to some extent, other parts of the South Asian diaspora.

Sepia Mutiny's emergence was part of the increase in mainstream diasporic Desi writing and creative arts outside the traditional genres — the effects of which can be seen in Indian subcontinent and spills over to the America, Canada, and the United Kingdom, given the presence of Desis. A similar trend was seen at sites like Badmash, an online comic that gained notice for its Amitabh for President campaign, South Asian magazines such as ABCDlady, as well as the greater prominence of Bollywood films in the United States. Crossovers movies such as Bride and Prejudice, Bollywood/Hollywood and Monsoon Wedding have helped the western audience understand the desi culture. The blog also addressed the growing prominence of South Asian Americans like Bobby Jindal, Russell Peters, Sanjay Gupta, Neel Kashkari and Kal Penn, among others, as they enter the mainstream of Western culture.