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 members Brent Huygh and William Torbeyns secure PhD funding
SHOC did very well in this year’s FWO PhD funding competition ! Congratulations to Brent Huygh and William Torbeyns, who both secured funding for their doctoral research.
Lukas Van Oost starts at SHOC
Lukas (b. 2000) studied History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (2022–2025) and Art History at Ghent University (2018–2022). His research centers on the colonial history of Central Africa.
VACANCY: PhD researcher at the VUB (Social History of Capitalism research group) and Ghent University (History Department)
VACANCY for a doctoral researcher at the VUB (Social History of Capitalism research group) and Ghent University (History Department) in the FWO project “Blaming and Shaming by Ordinary Villagers: Rural Perspectives on Social Control in Flanders, c. 1400–1600”.
Hora est: Drs Wink becomes Dr Wink!
On Monday, 22 September, our colleague Jurriaan Wink successfully defended his PhD in Amsterdam.
Upcoming events
Practical info21/10/2025 - 16:00 - 21/10/2025 - 17:30PhD defence by SHOC member Vicky Vanruysseveldt
SHOC is proud to announce that on 21 October, SHOC member Vicky Vanruysseveldt will defend her doctoral thesis : "On the road with entertainment. Income strategies and mobility among itinerant entertainers in Brabant (1750-1914)", supervised by Prof. Dr. Anne Winter
Practical info21/10/2025 - 19:00 - 21/10/2025 - 21:30The Foragers #1: Film Screening: Up on the Mountain
How do you survive on the margins of capitalism? Join us for the first event in our new series The Foragers with a screening of Up on the Mountain (2022, dir.
