Although the development of English and American Studies, just like other disciplines in the humanities, has been characterized by an on-going trend towards internationalization and globalization, there are still marked differences between various national research cultures and traditions. These differences can hardly be overlooked when comparing, for instance, the ways in which literary criticism as practised in British universities differs from the German tradition of Literaturwissenschaften (see Zima). Similar differences can be observed when pitting British Cultural Studies against German Kulturwissenschaften, both of which are also characterized by cultural and national specifictiy (cf. sections 1.2 below, III.2.3, and III.2.4).