Ralf Banken

Dr. Ralf Banken is an Adjunct Professor of Economic and Social History at the Historical Seminar of Johann Wolfgang Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. He holds a PhD (summa cum laude, 1997) and habilitation (2008) from Goethe University, specializing in industrial and economic history from the 18th to 20th centuries.

• Education: History, Social Sciences, and Dutch (University of Münster, 1983–1990)
• Key Research Areas: Regional industrialization, corporate history, Third Reich economics, and transnational Rhine economy

His recent projects focus on Nazi tax policy, the history of the Reichsbank, and West German-Dutch trade relations. Publications include groundbreaking works on the Saarland's industrialization and resource exploitation during WWII. He has received the Friedrich Sperl Prize (1998) and the Volksbank Saar-West Regional History Prize (1999).

Current affiliations include:

• Research Associate, Society for Corporate History (2021–present)
• Collaborator, 'History of the Reichsbank/Bundesbank' project (2019–2021)