Ann Rigney receives royal decoration for “groundbreaking insights that extend beyond academic walls”
On 6 December 2024, (now Emeritus) Professor of Comparative Literature Ann Rigney was appointed Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion. “Receiving this honour is an enormous privilege,” Rigney remarked. “It was the crowning moment of my career and it feels like a profound recognition of my work.”
Cultural memory
Rigney was awarded the Order of the Dutch Lion by Deputy Mayor Rachel Streefland, who also delivered the laudatory speech. In her address, Streefland explained that Rigney was receiving the honour for her “groundbreaking and innovative insights that extend beyond the walls of academia”. According to Streefland, Rigney’s contributions to scholarship and society have demonstrated that “cultural memory forms the foundation of our identity and social awareness, while also being the subject of debate and even conflict”.
The presentation of the royal decoration was a special moment, Rigney says, and emphasised for her the importance of sharing knowledge and ideas. “Research has always been a collaborative endeavour for me,” Rigney says, “and this distinction reflects not only my contributions but also those of the many brilliant colleagues and students I’ve had the privilege to work with over the years.”
Throughout her career, Rigney has been a leading advocate for the development of cultural memory studies. She served as Professor of Comparative Literature at Utrecht University from 2003, founded the Utrecht Forum for Memory Studies, and coordinated the Network in Transnational Memory Studies. Currently, she is also president-elect of the international Memory Studies Association. Rigney’s research has primarily focused on the interplay between narrative, collective identity, and debates on the relevance of the past for the present. Her final major project before retirement was Remembering Activism: The Cultural Memory of Protest in Europe.
Farewell symposium
Before receiving the decoration, Rigney delivered her valedictory lecture, Protest Memory: How Narrating the Past Can Change the Future. “In this lecture, I used many historical examples to show how cultural memory plays a role in protest movements,” Rigney says. “I also made a case for further research into the way collective stories are shaped, transmitted, and transformed.”
Earlier in the day a symposium was also held in her honour. “Various colleagues shared memories of our collaboration. The event concluded with a wonderful surprise: I was presented with the book Dynamics, Mediation, Mobilization: Doing Memory Studies with Ann Rigney.” The open-access volume, edited by Susanne Knittel (Utrecht University), Astrid Erll (Goethe University Frankfurt), and Jenny Wüstenberg (Nottingham Trent University), includes 54 essays. “Colleagues from around the world have dialogued with my work in this book. It’s truly amazing.”