This academic year, Tijl Soentjens is joining SHOC as part of the Talent-for-Research programme. He began his studies in History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in 2023 and has recently obtained his bachelor’s degree with a thesis in collaboration with the open-air museum of Bokrijk. This year, he will continue this collaboration for his master’s thesis. His academic interests include archival work, heritage and the historical relevance of museums themselves.
After having previously worked as a research assistant for both the SHOC- and BCLS-research group, he is now joining SHOC as a student-researcher in the framework of the TvO-programme for the academic year 2026-2027.
Under the supervision of Professor Bob Pierik, he will work on a research project on the urban geography of horse labour and mobility regimes in the premodern and industrializing societies of the Low Countries, with a focus on the horse as a sentient being. He will specifically engage in brainstorming, literature review and archival exploration.