GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) Course Visit: Prof. Dr. Kate Rigby at the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

10.12.2025 – 14.12.2025, Indian Institute of Technology IIT) Kharagpur

Prof. Dr. Kate Rigby, Director of Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH) and Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Environmental Humanities at the University of Cologne (UoC), visited India to participate in a GIAN (Global Initiative of Academic Networks) course funded by the Ministry of Education, Government of India. The course, titled “Decoloniality, Political Ecology & the New Humanities: Reconstructing Indigenous Ecology,” was held from 10th–14th December 2025 and was organised by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur (West Bengal). As part of the GIAN-funded programme, Prof. Dr. Rigby is presenting a lecture on Decoloniality and the Environmental Humanities. 

The Global Initiative of Academic Networks (GIAN) is a program of the Ministry of Education, Government of India. It is designed to tap the talent pool of scientists and entrepreneurs internationally to encourage their engagement with the institutes of higher education in India so as to augment the country's existing academic resources, accelerate the pace of quality reform, and elevate India's scientific and technological capacity to global excellence.

The University of Cologne and IIT Kharagpur signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in November 2025. During the visit, Dr. Amisha Jain and Prof. Dr. Kate Rigby discussed possibilities for strengthening future collaboration opportunities.

UoC Faculty: Prof. Dr. Kate Rigby, Director of Multidisciplinary Environmental Studies in the Humanities (MESH) and Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Environmental Humanities, University of Cologne

For more information: https://www.scribd.com/document/900704207/1754300293868