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Oskar Schmieder, born on January 27, 1891, in Bonn, Germany, and passing away on February 12, 1980, in Schleswig, was a distinguished German geographer recognized for his expertise in the regional geography of Latin America. His formative years in academia were spent at the University of California at Berkeley, working alongside Carl O. Sauer. There, he held the position of Associate Professor from 1926 to 1930.
Schmieder's academic journey in geography took him through the University of Bonn, the University of Königsberg, and the University of Heidelberg. His doctoral thesis on the Sierra de Gredos was guided by Alfred Hettner. It was here that he began integrating the physical geography with an understanding of social and cultural-historical elements that shape landscapes, a concept later termed the cultural-genetic method, influenced by Hettner's teachings. His first expedition to Peru in 1914 marked a turning point, though it was interrupted by his participation in the First World War.
After completing his Habilitation under Alfred Philippson in 1919 with a focus on the settlement geography of Ávila in Spain, Schmieder returned to Latin America. Prior to his tenure in Peru and Chile, he served as a professor of mineralogy and geology at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina, from 1920 to 1925. His regional expertise was later recognized at the University of California at Berkeley, where he collaborated with Carl O. Sauer, contributing significantly to the Latin Americanist perspective and possibly introducing German geographic methodologies to the Berkeley School of Geography. His tenure included extensive research with Sauer in Baja California and teaching courses in Latin American regional geography, which influenced many students including Fred B. Kniffen, Samuel N. Dicken, and Julian Steward. Despite an offer for a full professorship from Sauer, Schmieder returned to Germany in 1930.
Upon his return, Schmieder assumed a professorial role at the University of Kiel, continuing his focus on Latin American geography with his disciple Herbert Wilhelmy. During this period, he aligned with the prevailing nationalist and national socialist ideologies, becoming a proponent of Fascist Italy's colonial policies and joining the NSDAP in 1941. He notably advocated for a large-scale population transfer between South America and Africa, reflecting the national socialist views of the time.
Schmieder's later career saw him at the University of Halle before returning to Kiel. In the 1950s, he was a visiting professor at the University of Karachi and the University of Chile. He was recognized in a 1967 edition of the Pakistan Geographical Review as a seminal figure in German geography, echoing the influences of Hettner and as an integral part of the Berkeley School of Geography. His commitment to Länderkunde, a regional geography approach, was a defining aspect of his scholarly work.
