To Know Our Many Selves profiles the history of Canadian Studies, which began as early as the 1840s with the Study of Canada. Professor Dirk Hoerder discusses this comprehensive examination of culture by highlighting its unique interdisciplinary approach, which included both sociological and political angles. Years later, as the study of other ethnicities was added to the cultural story of Canada, a solid foundation was formed for the nation’s master narrative. Against this background, To Know Our Many Selves focuses on why Canadian Studies may be used as a sound model for the study of other societies in a frame of Transcultural Societal Studies.
Born in Germany, Dirk Hoerder was a professor in the department of history at the University of Bremen. After receiving a master of arts in history and political sciences from the University of Minnesota, he completed a doctorate in Modern and Medieval History and English Language and Literature from Free University of Berlin. He was president of the Association for Canadian Studies until 2005. He now teaches at Arizona State University.