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 colleague Benoît Henriet appointed as chairholder of the Chair Casterman-Hamers
From 2025-2027, Benoît Henriet, Associate Professor of History at VUB and member of our research group SHOC, has been appointed as the new chairholder for the Chair Casterman-Hamers: History and Philosophy of Sciences.
New publication by SHOC member Yannis Skalli-Housseini and Christopher Sebastian Lowe
We are proud to announce that a new article: "From Bruges to Brexit: nationalism, neoliberalism, and the Eurosceptic capture of the British Conservative Party" has been published in Contemporary British History!
New publication by SHOC member Bas Spliet
We are proud to announce that SHOC member Bas Spliet has recently published a new article in The Low Countries Journal of Social and Economic History (TSEG). Find the article, entitled 'Plain and Old': Why Did Paintings Go out of Fashion? via this link.
MARIE-CHARLOTTE DUBOIS JOINS SHOC
Marie-Charlotte Dubois (°2001) is joining SHOC as a PhD researcher. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts in History (2022) and Master of Arts in History (2023) at KU Leuven. She is specialized in medieval history.
Upcoming events
Practical info-SHOC seminar with Philipp Höhn (Martin-Luther-Universität Halle Wittenberg)
"Maritime Violence, Marginalization and the Formation of Markets in Late Medieval England"
Abstract
Practical info-"Sprekende Straten": on tour with SHOC
Imagine the vowels and cobblestones of Brussels whispering stories of times gone by... Walk with us through the heart of the city and listen to the echoes of the past.
Practical info-SHOC colleague Anne Winter gives lecture during study day ‘Migration and spatiality’
SHOC colleague Anne Winter gives a lecture entitled ‘migration and urban change in the 19th and 20th centuries’ during the study day ‘Migration and spatiality’.
Practical info-SHOC Seminar with Judy Stephenson (University College London)
"Wages before Machines: The microeconomics of solving the wage puzzle of the Industrial Revolution"
