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-member Klaas Van Gelder on research leave in Canada
This semester, Klaas Van Gelder is on research leave at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Canada. He collaborates with Prof. Tim Stretton on the topic of women going to court in the early modern era.
SHOC member Bart Lambert and SHOC Talent for Research intern William Torbeyns participated in the 21st Encuentros Internacionales del Medioevo in Nájera (Spain)
Last week, Bart Lambert and SHOC Talent for Research intern William Torbeyns participated in the 21st Encuentros Internacionales del Medioevo in Nájera in Northern Spain. Bart delivered the opening keynote, discussing some trends in the recent historiography on migration in late medieval Europe.
Photo report: SHOC accompanies guided walk "Sprekende Straten"
Last Sunday, a number of SHOC colleagues accompanied a walk through Brussels, treating the audience to some memorable historical stories. Historical sources and the necessary entertainment were certainly not lacking! Click here for the photo report.
Anna Derhaerg joins SHOC!
Anna Derhaeg (°2002) joins SHOC as a PhD student on the project “Negotiating consent: patient agency and surgery from a European perspective, 1900-2000” supervised by Jolien Gijbels.
Upcoming events
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"
Practical info-International seminar: 200 years of wealth inequality
International seminar: 200 years of wealth inequality
