Igel is a municipality in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Igel is known for the Igel Column, a 23 m high Roman decorated tomb. The Igel Column is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The International Society for the Empirical Study of Literature and Media (IGEL: Internationale Gesellschaft für Empirische Literaturwissenschaft) is a learned society with the object of promoting empirical approach to the study of literature and culture.
The society was founded in 1987 by Siegfried J. Schmidt University of Siegen. In 2010 IGEL became a registered society; it is registered as a Foundation in the Netherlands.
The Society is led by a governing board. Members of the board are the president, a vice-president, treasurer, secretary, member at large, journal editor, and student representative. The board is elected at the bi-annual meeting usually held in August/September for a two or four-year term. Presidents of IGEL: