“The Summer Institute in Economic Geography has been a very rich experience for me. Its mixture of different perspectives on the field, involving productive debate and engagement between them, creates new and exciting inputs for theory, methods and practice which are especially important for those of us in the beginning of our academic trajectories. The spaces for informal interactions during the event also open up productive dialogues and help strengthen contacts between participants. In my specific case, working outside the Anglophone and northern academic circuits, it has been not only an opportunity to interact directly with researchers inserted in those contexts, but also with other global south academics, with whom we tend to have difficulties in engaging directly (due to still weak south to south connections).”

Felipe Magalhães, doctoral researcher, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil

“The Summer Institute for Economic Geography merged intense yet protracted discussion on pedagogy, theory, and method with social events and field trips that made friends and colleagues of senior and junior scholars. As a political economist, for me its significance extended beyond building connections with economic geographers and immersion in the discipline of Geography, it linked fellow travelers and academic debates from across the social sciences. Attending the Summer Institute in Frankfurt (2014) as a postdoc was a highly rare and fully rewarding experience!”

Heather Whiteside, PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Waterloo

“The Summer Institute has become a right of passage in economic geography. It’s the can’t-miss, traveling genius loci where young scholars in the field can forge connections across continents that produce conference panels, special issues and other collaborations for years to come. It’s been less than a year since I attended and it’s already responsible for one conference panel, and a special issue is in the works.”

Mark Kear, PhD, Assistant Professor, School of Geography and Development, University of Arizona

“I participated in SIEG as assistant to the organizing committee as well as panelist in one session. Besides the organizational tasks, I had the chance to build lasting friendships but also a professional network, which stretches far beyond the SIEG meeting. It proves valuable when it comes to future job plans and open career positions, not only because the participants come from everywhere but also because there is a good mixture between PhD researchers, postdocs and Assistant professors that enables an inspiring exchange of ideas and experiences. It was a great opportunity indeed at all levels: academic, professional and personal.”

Dorothee Niebuhr, doctoral researcher, Department of Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt

“I already knew that economic geography is a heterodox and highly diverse field before attending the Summer Institute. But these six days of intense input and exchange helped me to make some sense of this diversity, to feel better equipped for navigating it, and to see my own position within it more clearly. For me, this was a unique opportunity for engaging with scholars and students from a variety of backgrounds beyond the often rather hectic conference gatherings, and to learn and benefit from their rich and diverse experiences.”

Alexander Vorbrugg, doctoral researcher, Department of Human Geography, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany