We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 July 2023
The feeling of curiosity can be perceived as an emotion linked to a modern era in which people were in the process of transcending borders and discovering new continents as well as new ways of living and thinking, becoming thus the godmother to modern science. Especially from the nineteenth century on, many Germans identified curiosity as the most vital prerequisite for strengthening the country’s position as a leader in education and science, and many efforts were made to educate mainly the sons of the upper-middle classes. This chapter examines how this initially led to a gender gap, favouring inquisitive boys and rejecting nosy girls. The socialist workers’ movement, in particular, that promised its members a better material and social position through education actively participated in initiatives to popularize science. While in the Weimar era the fight for equality in education was slowly transferred to women and girls, the ‘Third Reich’ and the GDR subsidized travel to recognize ‘top workers’ and motivate others to perform better. Curiosity nurtured in this and other ways inspired more and more people to cross boundaries and get to know the world as we see it today.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure no-reply@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
