In a moment when our ability to imagine a future is under attack, I had the privilege of co-editing w @santiaaurora.bsky.social this volume gathering so many incredible scholars and activists thinking about the future of Puerto Rican Studies. The book comes out on April 21 w @dukepress.bsky.social

Cover reveal day! @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social and I’s co-edited volume. We are thrilled to be in the company of such wonderful cutting edge scholars. Preorder at www.dukeupress.edu/interrogatin....

My colleague Andrea Flores, profiled @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social back in Jan 2025 about collabing with BB. www.latimes.com/delos/story/...

Last week we published this op-ed by @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social about the historic nature of this performance. Jorell is the academic who worked with bad bunny’s team on the visualizers for DTMF, which were full of lessons on Puerto Rican history www.latimes.com/delos/story/...

Jorell is quite rightly being lauded for collaborating with Bad Bunny, and his PUERTO RICO, from @princetonupress.bsky.social, is fantastic, I keep thinking, as I've watched MPLS, of his earlier book THE LETTERED BARRIADA, about PR organizing and educating under occupation in the first half of C20.

I wrote this article last week and, luckily, it still holds after the Benito Bowl: “I believe Bad Bunny’s performance will invite people to understand the beauty and complexity of our people’s history, even if it makes outsiders uncomfortable.”

Bad Bunny’s performance began in the plantation, featured broken electric poles, and ended by centering a hemispheric understanding of “América”—among many other things—and some Anglo journalists are like “his performance wasn’t political.” This is why we need to be telling our stories.

Pretty sure one was consulted, definitely was for the album news.wisc.edu/pop-star-bad...

Check out my CNN interview talking about el bebo, a.k.a. Bad Bunny:

Check out my opinion piece at De Los from the Los Angeles Times on Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show as a history lesson.

Congratulations to Bad Bunny, whose album DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS won Album of the Year at the 2026 #GRAMMYS! 🎉 🏆️ Did you know that the album’s accompanying YouTube visualizers were written by @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social, author of Puerto Rico: A National History? (1/3)

To know more about the album of the year and its many layers, read this story about @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social. “Bad Bunny’s ‘Debí Tirar Más Fotos’ is a love letter to Puerto Rico. This professor helped him tell the island’s history” www.latimes.com/delos/story/...

Jorell Meléndez-Badillo trabalhou com o astro Bad Bunny em seu último álbum para informar os fãs sobre a história de luta popular de Porto Rico. Seu trabalho como historiador é parte de um importante momento político pelo qual os porto-riquenhos estão passando agora.

The CfP for the 2026 Puerto Rican Studies Association Conference in Chicago is officially live!!! The theme is “Rooted Rican Pasts, Solidarity Futures.” www.ricanstudies.com/2026-cfp

ICYMI, watch “Deep Dive: Listening to Bad Bunny - @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social and Miguel Zenón in Conversation” youtu.be/YYh1WJ2fEUs Listening to key tracks, a scholar and a musician discuss the musical and cultural significance of this extremely popular artist. @cuny.edu #puertorican

Thank you for a fascinating look at the music & impact of #BadBunny! “Deep Dive: Listening to Bad Bunny - @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social & Miguel Zenón in Conversation” was moderated by Maurice Restrepo and introduced by Agustina Checa. Video coming soon!

The Spring 2026 catalog is live! We're featuring #NewBooks by @rtrodrig.bsky.social, @beansvelocci.bsky.social, @amynbooks.bsky.social, @lalehkhalili.bsky.social, @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social, @santiaaurora.bsky.social, and so many more. Check it out now: buff.ly/eJyyixc

Given that we are in December and are looking back at the year that was, I’m particularly proud of this Bad Bunny article we published in January. It’s about how intentional Benito was about crafting the album of the year, leaning into the history of the island that made him the world’s biggest star

Join us Wed, 12/10, 6:30p (in person or online) for Deep Dive: Listening to Bad Bunny - @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social & Miguel Zenón in Conversation – RESERVE: www.gc.cuny.edu/events/deep-... Listen to key tracks and learn about the style and significance of this extremely popular artist. #BadBunny

Tomorrow (Dec 2) at 5:00 pm CST, please join the University of Minnesota in welcoming @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social for a guest lecture on his book, Puerto Rico, as part of the Katherine E. Nash Gallery's exhibit "21st-Century Art of Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora." Learn more here: buff.ly/tqbbInO

Next week, Dec 2 at 5:00 pm CST, please join the University of Minnesota in welcoming @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social for a guest lecture on his book, Puerto Rico, as part of the Katherine E. Nash Gallery's exhibit "21st-Century Art of Puerto Rico and Its Diaspora." Learn more here: buff.ly/tqbbInO

Join the IHRC and the Nash Gallery for Puerto Rico: A National History with Bad Bunny collaborator Jorell Melendez-Badillo on Dec 2. Learn about the history of Puerto Rico and its diaspora. z.umn.edu/JorellMelendezBadillo @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social @oah.org @iehs.bsky.social

Tomorrow (September 26th) from 8:30am to 2:00pm EDT, see @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social, author of Puerto Rico, in conversation with Yomaira Figueroa-Vásquez at @michiganstateu.bsky.social's Latine Voces Uncensored event. Learn more about this free, in-person event here: buff.ly/ZFk8giu

The placeholder for "Interrogating the Future of Puerto Rican Studies," which I'm co-editing with @santiaaurora.bsky.social is live in the @dukepress.bsky.social website!!! So excited to be in dialogue with so many incredible Puerto Rican scholars. www.dukeupress.edu/interrogatin...

Very exciting to hear @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social, author of Puerto Rico: A National History, on ‪@vox.com‬ Today, Explained! Listen to the full episode here: megaphone.link/VMP6691376741

Profundamente agradecido por la oportunidad de amplificar nuestra historia utilizando el billboard más visto en todo Puerto Rico—el de la residencia de Bad Bunny en el Choliseo. Es sumamente increíble el poder utilizar esa plataforma para resaltar y amplificar nuestra historia.

Love a good conference discount book haul! @shafrhistorians.bsky.social @ievajusionyte.bsky.social @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social @marydudziak.bsky.social

Just finished reading @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social's book on Puerto Rico. I knew nothing about this history. My only connection to the island is that half my DNA is from it and I have a few relatives there. I don't speak Spanish nor know any of its culture. It was an enlightening read.

***Please share widely*** @santiaaurora.bsky.social and I are guest curating Pablo Delano's new exhibit, "cuestiones caribeñas/caribbean matters: assemblage and sculpture by pablo delano" at the Chazen Museum at @uwmadison.bsky.social. chazen.wisc.edu/pablo-delano...

Last was "Puerto Rico" by @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social, who provides rich analysis of interactions between the archipelago and Spain, and incredible context on unfair relations with the US and movements to change the relationship. Highly recommend Full review: bookwyrm.social/user/bwaber/... (3/3)

Arrived in NYC for three events celebrating the launch of “Puerto Rico” in paperback and for the PR Day Parade on Sunday. As soon as we landed in JFK we ran into one of PR’s greatest legends, Félix “Tito” Trinidad.🥹🇵🇷🥹🇵🇷🥹🇵🇷 My childhood self is over the moon shouting “!Tito! ¡Tito! ¡Tito!”

Pair the new #paperback edition of @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social's Puerto Rico: A National History (out now!) with the #audiobook, read by Tony Chiroldes, and discover a panoramic history of Puerto Rico from pre-Columbian times to today. 🎧🇵🇷 Learn more: press.princeton.edu/books/audio/...

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🚨New Writing Latinos Episode!🚨 One of my faves. We talk with @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social about his book, Puerto Rico: A National History, plus his collaboration with Bad Bunny! www.publicbooks.org/jorell-melen...

“a social, cultural and political history of Puerto Rico. This account tracks the history of the island from the pre-Columbian era to its current status as an often-misunderstood territory of the United States.” Read more: www.seattletimes.com/entertainmen... @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social

In a new episode of Writing Latinos, ‪@geraldo-cadava.bsky.social‬ chats with @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social‬ about his new book “Puerto Rico: A National History” (@princetonupress.bsky.social‬).

A panoramic history of Puerto Rico from pre-Columbian times to today—an engaging, sometimes personal, & surprising history of colonialism, revolt, and the creation of a national identity. Puerto Rico arrives in #paperback on June 3: press.princeton.edu/books/hardco... @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social

¡Dímelo, Connecticut! On May 7th, @santiaaurora.bsky.social and I will be at Central Connecticut State University talking about nostalgia and historical memory in the discography of Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, "directamente desde el espacio".

Shout out to @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social for his amazing work on the DTMF videos 👇

Bueno familia, after two years in the works, Duke University Press' Editorial Board has approved an edited volume I am co-editing with @santiaaurora.bsky.social, tentatively titled "Interrogating the Future of Puerto Rican Studies." The book should be out in Spring 2026.

Calentando motores para el otoño.

¿DeBÍ ESTuDIAR MáS HiSTORIA? Agradecido por la invitación del Departamento de Historia de la UPR-RP para crear este pequeño video sobre la importancia de la historia y mi colaboración con Bad Bunny. Particularmente agradecido por toda la labor de sus increíbles estudiantes. 📚❤️🇵🇷

It’s never NOT relevant, but there are lots of hoary educational practices and institutions of varying degrees of formality that will be well worth meditating upon and resurrecting. Here’s @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social ’s “The Lettered Barriada” e.g. www.dukeupress.edu/the-lettered...

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Paul G. Miller, comisionado de instrucción colonial, el cual escribió el libro de texto utilizado en las escuelas de Puerto Rico de 1922 a 1952 no solamente recibió su doctorado de UW-Madison, sino que también fungió como catedrático. 🤯

Incredibly humbled by this note published by my editor, Priya Nelson, who believed that our history was worth telling. I am so thankful to her for not dissuading me to write a book grounded in the deep love I have for my people. We are still here. Seguimos aquí.

I just received the copy of Puerto Rico: A National History by @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social that I ordered from @bookshop-org.bsky.social . I can’t wait to dig in!

Author @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social talks to #TheTake from @al-jazeera-english.bsky.social about writing Puerto Rican history for future generations.

Bad Bunny wanted to share Puerto Rico's history of colonization, so he called a Wisconsin Professor www.wuwm.com/arts-culture...

en españa y eeuu se mira el reggaeton desde arriba aunque se baile y produzca por eso traer al historiador que trabajó con bad bunny para entender DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS era un acto de justicia gracias! 🫶🏽🇵🇷 @natashadeltoro.bsky.social y @jmelendezbadillo.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/7k7P...