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
New publication by SHOC member Janny Van Doorn
In a new article, SHOC member Janny van Doorn examines how the urban authorities of late medieval Bruges responded to food provisioning crises and social unrest surrounding the sale of venteghoedt (affordable but highly perishable fish products).
SHOC Welcomes Matthis Aelbrecht as TVO Student!
Matthis Aelbrecht (b. 2006) is a History student at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), having begun his studies in 2024.
New article by SHOC members Benoît Henriet and Lukas Van Oost
What did Belgium’s takeover of the Congo Free State in 1908 mean for the widespread violence inflicted on rainforest communities in the pursuit of wild rubber? A new publication by SHOC members Lukas Van Oost and prof.
New article by SHOC member Claudia Pelgrims
What does solidarity really mean when words and actions do not line up? And how far does solidarity go once political interests and international relations enter the picture?
Upcoming events
Practical info28/09/2026 - 10:30 - 28/09/2026 - 11:30Presentation with Ngalo Masua Neré (Institut National des Archives du Congo): "Colonial archives in the DRC"
We warmly invite everyone to attend the presentation "Colonial Archives in the DRC", delivered by Ngalo Masua Neré, of the Institut National des Archives d
