Sepia Mutiny
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Sepia Mutiny is a blog begun by a number of South Asian American bloggers in 2004. Since its inception, it has become a space for many "Desi-Americans"[1] including Indian Americans, Pakistani Americans, Bangladeshi Americans, and Sri Lankan Americans, to talk about issues of importance to the community. The site has been in existence since August, 2004, and has amassed more than 5,000,000 visitors.
Sepia Mutiny has devoted space to the emergence of South Asian Americans as a poltical force in both the 2004 and 2006 elections. Several Sepia Mutiny bloggers commented on the controversy surrounding "Macacagate," the scandal that erupted following Virginia Senator George Allen's use of an ethnic slur for an Indian American working for his opponent's Senatorial campaign. Earlier, Sepia Mutiny played a role in drawing attention to other American public figures using racial slurs, including radio personalities in Philadelphia and New York.
In the spring and summer of 2006, a number of Sepia Mutiny posts debated the allegations of plagiarism in Kaavya Viswanathan's novel, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life. Posts related to Kaavya Viswanathan were widely cited by other blogs and the mass-media, including the New York Times. Other South Asian authors are also discussed, including award-winners like Salman Rushdie, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Kiran Desai.
In addition to issues in politics, culture and identity for South Asians in North America, Sepia Mutiny bloggers are intensely interested in the affairs of the Indian subcontinent. Many Sepia Mutiny posts have reported on issues such as terrorism, communal tension, AIDS, and Indian cinema.
According to the blog's FAQ, Sepia Mutiny's title is "a pun on the first widespread rebellion against the British Raj"--a reference to the so-called Sepoy Mutiny or First War of Indian Independence in 1857 and the color sepia which is a type of brown.[2] This is a trope similar to the one used by the blog Chapati Mystery.
The emergence of Sepia Mutiny is concurrent with a blossoming of diasporic Desi writing and creative arts outside the traditional genres. This includes such work as Badmash, an online comic that gained renown for its Amitabh for President campaign, and the greater prominence of Bollywood films in the United States, including crossovers like Bride and Prejudice. The blog is also part of a broader trend of South Asian Americans like Bobby Jindal and Kal Penn entering the consciousness of mainstream American culture.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Ahmed, Tanzila. Alternet mix the message. Desi Power Online. 2006. September 9, 2006. <http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/33078/>.
- ^ Petition Online. Bring Sepia Mutiny Back. 2005. October 16, 2006. <http://www.petitiononline.com/sepia/petition.html>.
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