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
JOHN LATHAM-SPRINKLE JOINS SHOC!
John Latham-Sprinkle is joining SHOC as a postdoctoral researcher. John studied for his BA in History at King’s College London, and for MA degrees in Medieval History and Historical Research Methods at the University of Leeds and the School of Oriental and African Studies, London.
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.
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
