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 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?
VACANCY: DOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN HISTORY
We are looking for an enthusiastic candidate for the Research Foundation Flanders FWO-funded PhD project ‘The international politics of the household. American home economists and the reconstruction of Belgium and France (1918-1925)’ under the supervision of prof. dr. Nel de Mûelenaere.
Call for papers: Premodern State Formation: New Themes and Directions
Premodern State Formation: New Themes and Directions Organised by: Klaas Van Gelder (Brussels) & Hannes Ziegler (Dresden) Date: 20.-21.5.2027 Place: Dresden University of Technology Late medieval an...
Reblication of “Non-Nationals between Belonging and Removal: Urban Practices of Policies towards Foreigners, Antwerp c. 1830–1880.” by SHOC member Anne Winter and Ellen Debackere
SHOC is happy to announce the republication of SHOC member Anne Winter's and Ellen Debackere's article, entitled “Non-Nationals between Belonging and Removal: Urban Practices of Policies towards Foreigners, Antwerp c.
