Professor Eike W. Schamp was one of Germany’s most influential economic geographers and a pioneer in the field of financial geography. He has inspired many of today’s FinGeo scholars in Germany and other countries. His professorship in Frankfurt was, among others, ideally suited to help him studying international financial centres.
After holding positions as Professor of Economic Geography at the universities of LMU Munich (1978) and Gottingen (1979), Eike Schamp was appointed Chair of Economic Geography at the Goethe-University of Frankfurt am Main in 1989, which he held until his retirement in 2006. For many years, he was managing director of the Institute of Economic and Social Geography and also dean of the Faculty of Geosciences/Geography at the Goethe-University.
Eike Schamp exemplified what he taught: a scientific understanding that drew its energy from curiosity, openness and criticism. He was often among the first to receive and test new developments and thoughts on empirical problems. He applied his work in a deeply interdisciplinary manner documented by his many research collaborations with economists, sociologists, political scientists and ethnologists, by his numerous third-party funded projects and frequent publications. Eike Schamp was an admired and sometimes feared participant in scientific discussions. He demanded the right argument regardless of a scholars’ rank and seniority. Curiosity, openness and criticism were not only characteristics of his understanding of science but also his attitude towards students and colleagues. He was always a reliable mentor for young researchers and provided great support with mischievous humour. Curiosity, openness, and criticism especially with his own work, were also the reasons for the continuous originality and topicality of his scientific contributions. Rather than seeking a solution to a static dogmatic riddle, his work is an outstanding example of pluralistic thinking and creative search, in which the diversity of theories, methods and empirical fields of investigation combine the advantages of a research practice committed to societal problems.
Eike Schamp contributed early to the internationalisation of German economic geography by establishing European and other international research networks. He was inspired not only by Anglophone but also by Francophone debates and European perspectives. As the leading editor of the Geographische Zeitschrift for many years, his clear vision and broad networks helped greatly to advance the scientific debate and to support and promote young academics in Germany.
Professor Dr Eike W. Schamp died on 8 February 2019 at the age of 78 after a severe disease.
In grateful memory of an outstanding scientist and mentor,
Sabine Dörry, Martina Fuchs, Johannes Glückler, Michael Grote, Michael Handke, Vivien Lo, Cordula Neiberger, Bernd Rentmeister, Levke Schlütter, and on behalf of the Global Network on Financial Geography
