Monika Kugemann

Monika Kugemann joined UNRISD in January 2008 in the Publications and Dissemination unit as an intern. She assisted in media outreach support (national, regional and international media, specialist media, and United Nations-specific internal and external media) and website, intranet development at the UNRISD Press Office. She also worked to increase the visibility of UNRISD’s research in academia and civil society.
During the time of her internship, Monika was in the process of earning a PhD in the correlation of cultural identity and integration in migration processes. Her thesis 'In-Between Cultural Heritage: Identity and the Integration Process' investigates cultural expressions and their interpretation through the media as constituents of immigrant identity. With her novel approach of understanding cultural identity she hoped to allow new insights into the behaviors of immigrant communities.

She holds a Master degree in Theater and Media from Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen/Nürnberg and a second Master degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Point Park University, Pittsburgh. During her journalism studies she interned at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, researching and writing news articles for the features department. Monika also worked in the marketing department of Siemens Bangalore, where she was in charge of devising methods for improving social networking opportunities between employees.