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
Among Fellows and Footnotes: Bart Lambert in Cambridge
From January to April, our colleague Bart Lambert is a Visiting Fellow at Clare Hall, University of Cambridge — one of Cambridge’s institutes for advanced study, dedicated to supporting postgraduate researchers and international scholars.
Registration for the international conference 'Studying Non-Elites in the Medieval Caucasus' is now open!
The SHOC Research Group at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, in association with the Medieval Caucasus Network and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research, is happy to announce that registration for the international conference 'Studying Non-Elites in the Medieval Caucasus' is open.
New article by SHOC member Rein Vander Hulst!
Another publication, another reason for SHOC to be proud—congratulations to Rein Vander Hulst! Rein has recently published a new article "Military Justice in the Field: Law, Order and Violence in the Prosecutors’ Archives of Belgian Colonial Troops at ‘War’".
SHOC welcomes new PhD student Jens Van Mieghem!
Jens studied History at Ghent University (2025), with a focus on the Early Modern period. He wrote his Master’s thesis on local police regulations in Ghent in 1581-87, during and after the Calvinist Republic of Ghent.
Upcoming events
Practical info25/02/2026 - 17:00 - 25/02/2026 - 19:30Book launch with SHOC member Jolien Gijbels - Consent: A history of coercion and free will and everything in between
It was only a few weeks ago that SHOC had the honour of presenting the new publication of "Consent:
Practical info09/03/2026 - 10:30 - 09/03/2026 - 12:00SHOC seminar with Thomas Rommel (Vrije Universiteit Brussel - CLIC)
Intertextuality and The Wealth of Nations : Contextualizing Adam Smith
In 1776 Adam Smith, the by-then famous author of The Theory of Moral Sentiments
Practical info23/03/2026 - 10:30 - 23/03/2026 - 12:00SHOC seminar with Hannes Ziegler (Technische Universität Dresden)
What was the State? Officiating and Litigating in Early Modern England
Research into early modern state-building has developed quite a bit over the past decades, lending more depth and complexity to such processes.
Practical info31/03/2026 - 18:00 - 31/03/2026 - 20:00Art effects: sensory education in uncertain times
South African professor Premesh Lalu gives a lecture about The Herds, a groundbreaking public art and climate initiative designed to inspire action and renew our bond with the natural world.
