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 op de diploma-uitreiking van de VUB!
Afgelopen maandag namen verschillende leden van de SHOC-onderzoeksgroep deel aan de diploma-uitreiking van de VUB op de iconische Grote Markt in Brussel.
New chapter begins: Make-Up of the City becomes Make-Up of the Cities!
Building on the success of the Make-Up of the City project , SHOC members Bart Lambert, Patxi Perez Ramallo and Charlotte Van Riet, alongside colleagues from other VUB research groups, now launch the next phase in their interdisciplinary exploration of Flanders’ medieval urban past, Make-Up of the...
SHOC member Ward Leloup wins paleography contest
On 4 October, 41 palaeographers from Flanders and the Netherlands gathered in St-Truiden for the finals of the Wat Staat Daer? Palaeography Contest. After a tough online preselection, the finalists faced the challenge of transcribing three texts from the 14th, 16th and 17th centuries.
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.
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.
Practical info12/11/2025 - 19:00 - 12/11/2025 - 22:00The Foragers #2: Preview Screening: Summer Grass Winter Worm, 12 Nov. 2025, 7 PM, BoZar, Brussels
Join us for the second event in The Foragers series. Filmmaker-anthropologists Martin Saxer and Matjaž Pinter offer an exclusive preview of Summer Grass Winter Worm.
