Looking at the past to understand the future
SHOC (Social History of Capitalism) is one of the recognized Large Research Groups of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. Our core objective is to study the social history of capitalism from a bottom-up point of view. We conceptualize capitalism as a social process that exponentially boosted material production but also generated structural inequalities throughout the medieval, early modern and modern world. We aim to engage with the interactions and negotiations which shaped these outcomes, incorporating non-human, technological, and subaltern perspectives. Considering different contexts across the world allows us to disentangle the relationship between specific social configurations and the effects of capitalist expansion on welfare, social relations, migration and the environment in the long run, from the late middle ages until the 20th century.
Recent news
SHOC member Robin Rose Southard successfully defends PhD dissertation
On 23 June, SHOC had the honour of attending Rose Southard's PhD defence, "Biting the hand that Feeds. Contesting the Food Guilds in 18th-century Brussels". A successful - and engaging! defence , followed by a lovely reception: the ideal recipe for the start of a new chapter!
New article by SHOC member Anne Winter and Thijs Lambrecht
A new article by SHOC member Anne Winter and Thijs Lambrecht was recently published in Rural History. In their publication " Conspicuous charity and agrarian capitalism: Rural poor relief in Western Flanders c.
First scientific output of FORAGENCY, by SHOC member Etienne Gontard
Research group SHOC and the FORAGENCY team are proud to announce the first FORAGENCY publication by researcher Etienne Gontard, via this link. In, “Weaving the Future: Duiker Hides Trade and the Aka in Colonial Central Africa” , Etienne Gontard studies how, between 1920 and 1950, duikers were...
New publication by SHOC member Bart Lambert and Joshua Ravenhill
Want to know why 'Fleming' was considered an insult in late medieval England and 'Dutchman' was not? Bart Lambert and Josh Ravenhill published an article about nationality-related slurs in 15th-century London in the Vierteljahrschrift für Sozial- und Wirtschaftsgeschichte.
Upcoming events
Practical info-SHOC seminar with Giulio Ongaro (University of Milano-Bicocca) and Matteo Di Tullio (University of Pavia)
"Unequal mountains? Political inclusion, commons and local finances in central-northern Italy during the early modern period"
Abstract
