Rebecca Novais Luque

Master’s Student in Political Science – International Politics and International Law

My master thesis examines the representation of Latina women—between exoticization and reappropriation, symbolic violence and cultural expression—in contemporary reggaeton. I am working under the supervision of Nora Nagels at the Université du Québec à Montréal. I hold a Bachelor’s degree in History and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the Université Panthéon-Sorbonne in Paris, a Microprogram in Personalized Management from HEC Montréal, and a Master’s degree in International Studies – Cultures, Conflicts and Peace from the Université de Montréal. I am currently working at the Montreal Refugee Center.

Through my thesis, I seek to demonstrate how contemporary reggaeton becomes a space where gendered and racialized power relations are both enacted and subverted. Often associated with hypersexualization and stereotypes rooted in colonial history, the genre reproduces certain forms of symbolic violence, particularly affecting women. Yet this same musical style is also mobilized by many artists as a site of expression, reappropriation, and autonomy. By exploring this ambivalence, I analyze how reggaeton reveals both the practical limits and the transformative potential of women’s rights in contexts marked by sexism, racism, and the commodification of bodies. The goal is also to show how music plays a far more influential role than often assumed—conveying messages, shaping imaginaries, and influencing social practices. Reggaeton both transforms and reproduces the dynamics of the societies in which it is embedded.

Languages: French, Spanish, English, Portuguese