Florian Freitag

Prof. Dr. Florian Freitag is a Professor of American Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen (Germany) since 2019, specializing in Transnational American Studies, Canadian Studies, and Theme Park Studies. His academic journey includes a PhD in North American literatures from the University of Constance (Germany) in 2011, followed by postdoctoral research at the Obama Institute, JGU Mainz.

His educational background includes:

• 1998-2005: Student of English and French, University of Konstanz, Germany
• 2002-2003: Exchange student, Department of American Studies, Yale University
• 2006-2011: Doctoral Student, Department of Literature, University of Konstanz
• 2009: Visiting Scholar, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
• 2015-2016: Visiting Scholar, CityTech (CUNY), New York, USA

Freitag's research interests span Transnational American Studies, Canadian Studies, Popular Culture, Theme Park Studies, Periodical Studies, Performance Studies, and Hurricane Katrina studies. His work explores the intersections of cultural representation, spatial theory, and transnational flows, with particular attention to how American culture travels and transforms in global contexts. He has made significant contributions to understanding theme parks as cultural spaces that negotiate national identity, transnational influences, and historical narratives through spatial design, narrative construction, and visitor experience.

His publications reveal a strong focus on how themed spaces mediate cultural understanding across national boundaries. His scholarship demonstrates how popular culture forms like theme parks serve as important arenas for cultural work that often goes unrecognized in more traditional academic contexts. His work examines the political dimensions of themed environments, the adaptation of classical mythology in global theme parks, and how cities like New Orleans are represented across different media forms.

Among his notable scientific contributions are his books The Farm Novel in North America: Genre and Nation in the United States, English Canada, and French Canada, 1845-1945 (Camden House 2013), Popular New Orleans: The Crescent City in Periodicals, Theme Parks, and Opera, 1875-2015 (Routledge 2021), and Key Concepts in Theme Park Studies: Understanding Tourism and Leisure Spaces (Springer 2023), which established him as a leading scholar in interdisciplinary theme park studies.

Freitag has also been active in academic service, including co-editing special issues and volumes on intersectionality, Chinese theme parks, and transnational approaches to North American regionalism. His work demonstrates a commitment to interdisciplinary approaches that bridge literary studies, cultural geography, and media studies, with significant contributions to understanding cultural representation in themed environments.