Katie Ritson Presenting Habilitation Thesis to LMU’s Faculty of Languages and Literature
25.06.2026
On 24 June, RCC alumna Dr. Katie Ritson presented her Habilitation thesis to the Faculty of Languages and Literature at LMU. Katie's thesis, titled “BOOM! A Study of North Sea Petroculture in Norway and Great Britain,” provides an interdisciplinary look into how oil extraction in the North Sea has transformed the modern identity, politics, and environmental landscapes of the two nations.
The presentation took place on Faculty Day (Fakultätentag) in LMU’s Senatssaal. RCC Director Christof Mauch gave an introduction, and a formal ceremony followed.
Katie is an assistant professor at LMU’s Institute for Scandinavian Studies and affiliated researcher at the RCC. She worked at the RCC as an editor between 2009 and 2020, and completed her doctorate in 2016 with a dissertation on vulnerable coasts in literature. She was an RCC research fellow from 2020 to 2024. Her postdoctoral project, “Offshore: Energy Cultures of the North Sea” (2021–24), was funded by the German Research Council. New horizons await Katie as she takes up a position as assistant professor in Scandinavian at the University of California, Berkeley, on 1 July.
The RCC community is beyond thrilled that Katie has achieved this milestone, and we offer her our heartfelt congratulations.