Bad Bunny’s global rise is not merely a musical phenomenon - it is also a political and cultural phenomenon that has raised, in different parts of the world, fundamental questions about identities, power and resistances. This seminar explores the origins, meanings, and social implications of the artist, of reggaeton, and of a combative decoloniality that runs through his artistic output.

By situating his work within the context of social, environmental, and political struggles against colonialism in Puerto Rico, we will discuss how Bad Bunny has established himself as a voice of protest and mobilisation. Drawing on his music, aesthetics, and public stances, we will analyse his critiques of social marginalisation and racism, state corruption, machismo, and governmental negligence in the wake of Hurricane Maria, as well as the struggles against energy injustice and processes of gentrification.

Moderator: Flora Pereira da Silva (CES)

Bio notes

Gustavo Garcia López is an engaged researcher, educator, and community organiser in training from the islands of Puerto Rico. He has a transdisciplinary background in socio-environmental sciences, combining political ecology and environmental planning and public policy with decolonial studies of Latin America and the Caribbean. His work focuses on transformative eco-social initiatives and movements, bridging ideas of the commons, self-management, insurgent ecologies, environmental and climate justice, and just transitions. He has experience in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and, more recently, Portugal, and maintains strong involvement with international networks and initiatives. He is currently an Integrated Researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra, where he is part of the Ecology and Society Lab (ECOSOC), which he coordinated between 2022 and 2025, and the Risk Observatory (OSIRIS).

Flora Pereira da Silva is a Ph.D. Candidate at the Faculty of Economics of Coimbra University in the Postcolonialisms and Global Citizenship Doctoral Programme. Flora researches southern feminist ontologies and epistemologies related to climate, environment, and land through the lens of postcolonial critique and political ecology. Member of the Ecology and Society Lab at CES, she holds a Master's degree from the University of Brasilia in Development, Society and International Cooperation, and a Laurea Magistrale through the program ´Bilateral Agreement´ in Communication and Philosophy from the Roma Tre University. Flora works as the Chief of Education and Engagement at The Pulitzer Center, where she leads engagement and education programs and teams in the US, Latin America, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, combining investigative journalism, social movement expertise, and academic perspectives to raise public awareness of social inequalities and environmental degradation. Previously, she worked in multiple UN agencies and was the Founder of Afreaka, a media and education NGO.

Activity under the Ecology and Society Lab (ECOSOC-CES)