Canadian Studies and Canadian History in Germany: Past developments and the current situation

Abstract

German academic interest in Canada dates back to the 1780s when the University of Gottingen began to systematically acquire exploration and travel accounts by Europeans who had ventured abroad to Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The study of Canadian topics in Germany continued to be limited to a few geographers until the early twentieth century. Only then did Canada also elicit interest in such disciplines as literature and economies. Yet, neither in geography nor in the other disciplines did the study of Canada acquire any real attention. Instead, Canadian studies settled for a minor role in German academia.