Eskimology traces its beginning to the pioneering work of Hans Egede (1745) and David Crantz (1767) in Greenland.[2] Eskimology has traditionally had a particular focus on Greenland studies owing to the long-standing relationship between Denmark and Greenland established in the early 18th century, and the academic discipline of Eskimology is today centered at the University of Copenhagen.
The term "Eskimology" was not common until 1967, when a genuine department was established and officially named the Department of Eskimology. From the late 1960s, Eskimology changed its focus toward increasingly contemporary and global political issues.[1] In 2019, the department changed its name to Greenlandic and Arctic Studies Section (a section within the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies). The Greenlandic and Arctic Studies Section offers full BA and MA programmes. In these programmes, the study of the Greenlandic language and the socio-cultural issues of Greenland / Arctic are central.