As a final project for Power and Public Spheres taught by Dr. Russell Newman, I conducted an in-depth analysis of Movimiento Victoria Ciudadana (MVC)—a new political party in Puerto Rico founded in 2019. My research explored how MVC challenges the island’s entrenched bipartisan system by positioning itself as a pluralist, anti-neoliberal counterpublic. Drawing from theorists such as Nancy Fraser, Chantal Mouffe, and Catherine Squires, I examined how MVC uses deliberative participation, digital organizing, and grassroots mobilization to infiltrate and disrupt the dominant political public sphere shaped by the PPD and PNP.
Power and Public Spheres | Citizen's Victory Movement
Emerson College | Spring 2023
My paper and accompanying presentation unpacked the party’s structural innovation—including its “Network of Networks” model—and its refusal to define itself by a singular stance on Puerto Rico’s political status. I argued that MVC’s strategic use of counterpublic discourse, digital infrastructure, and electoral participation reflects a sophisticated model of insurgent democratic action. This project sharpened my ability to synthesize political theory with contemporary case analysis, and deepened my understanding of power, discourse, and representation within colonized and transitional political systems.
Final Paper & Slide Deck