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
Peter Lambertz joins SHOC
Peter Lambertz joins SHOC as a postdocoral researcher and will be appointed on our Foragency project. Peter holds an MA in History (ULB Brussels), an MA in Global/African Studies (Leipzig-Stellenbosch-Wroclaw) and a PhD in African Studies/Religious Studies (Utrecht - Leipzig).
Upcoming events
Practical info-SHOC Seminar with Judy Stephenson (University College London)
"Wages before Machines: The microeconomics of solving the wage puzzle of the Industrial Revolution"
Practical info-International seminar: 200 years of wealth inequality
International seminar: 200 years of wealth inequality
Practical info-Journée d'histoire belge des migrations / Dag van Belgische Migratiegeschiedenis
The seventh edition of the Day of Belgian Migration History will take place on Wednesday 25 September 2024 at the General State Archives in Brussels.
