Ann Rigney receives royal decoration for “groundbreaking insights that extend beyond academic walls”

On 6 December 2024, Professor Ann Rigney was appointed Knight in the Order of the Dutch Lion.

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”.

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.”

To read more, click here.