ICR congratulates alumna MICHELLE RIVERA on her Honorable Mention for her dissertation from the Puerto Rican Studies Association. Dear Michelle: It gives me great pleasure to congratulate you for receiving an honorable mention in the Puerto Rican Studies Association (PRSA)’s 2014 Dissertation Award. The selection committee was greatly impressed with your Ph.D. dissertation, “Hate it or Love it: Global Crossover of Reggaetón Music in the Digital Age” (Communications and Media Studies, Institute of Communications Research, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, May 2014), written under the supervision of Professor Angharad N. Valdivia. You present fascinating analysis of the complex phenomenon of reggaetón music in Puerto Rico and elsewhere, particularly of its transformation from a marginalized and criminalized musical form into a global commodity; on online forums for anti-reggaetón fans; and on how the U.S. Armed Forces use reggaetón in their Latina/o recruitment strategies, particularly through their engagement with the performer Daddy Yankee. The dissertation is well researched, clearly written, and very compelling. We believe your dissertation will have a great impact in the field when published as a book.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Sep 2014 11:54:20 +0000