Drum roll… 🥁 🥁 🥁 Registration for the international conference 'Studying Non-Elites in the Medieval Caucasus' is now open!

SHOC-collega's over vreemde vogels in de middeleeuwen 🏰 In het voorjaar van 2026 organiseren Vzw Familiares de Dunis en het Abdijmuseum Ten Duinen de lezingenreeks ‘Kleurrijke vreemde vogels tussen abdijen en kastelen. Gelijkheid en uitsluiting binnen de middeleeuwse samenleving.’

Another publication, another reason for SHOC to be proud—congratulations to Rein Vander Hulst! Rein has recently published a new article "Military Justice in the Field: Law, Order and Violence in the Prosecutors’ Archives of Belgian Colonial Troops at ‘War’".

SHOC is pleased to welcome Jens Van Mieghem as a new doctoral researcher. Jens does a joint PhD in History at VUB and Ghent University and is supervised by Klaas Van Gelder (VUB) and Thijs Lambrecht (UGent).

SHOC member Bob Pierik wins the Prof. Van Winter Award 2025 for best local or regional history book in the Netherlands! Read all about it on our website 👇 shoc.research.vub.be/en/shoc-memb...

GEZOCHT: documenten en verhalen van vrouwen die in het federaal parlement zetelden tussen 1921 en 1995. Heb jij dagboeken, schriftjes, brieven, aantekeningen, foto's of gelijkaardige documenten die stof liggen te vangen op zolder?

You are very welcome to join South African professor Premesh Lalu on his lecture about The Herds, a groundbreaking public art and climate initiative designed to inspire action and renew our bond with the natural world.

SHOC member Jolien Gijbels and Chanelle Delameillieure Demailleure were guests on VRT’s Voorproevers, where they spoke about their new book "Consent: a history of coercion and free will and everything in between." Tune in here 👇 www.vrt.be/vrtmax/podca...

Do you remember that a few weeks ago we proudly announced the new publication of ‘Consent: A history of coercion and free will and everything in between’, co-authored by SHOC colleague Jolien Gijbels? Well, it is now time to invite you to the book launch event for this inspiring work!

We are thrilled to unveil our seminar programme for the coming semester! Join us for our first lecture by Stephan Strunz: Air, Alleys, and Affection: The Politics of the Housing Survey between Basel, Liège, and Berlin, which promises to set the tone for an exciting series of discussions.

Call for sessions/papers & workshops: Ctrl-Alt-History – (Digital)Humanities meets AI

New FORAGENCY publication by SHOC member Thijs Costers: “Banana beer in Belgian Burundi: a social metabolist history of intoxication (1916–1962)”

🎉 Happy New Year from SHOC Research Group! 🎉 We wrapped up the year with great end-of-year celebrations and even better memories. Thank you to our wonderful team and collaborators for a fantastic year!

Three new FWO projects for SHOC! We’re thrilled to announce that three members of the SHOC research group have secured funding in this year’s FWO/Research Foundation–Flanders project competition.

Welcome, Lieke Bes! Lieke joins us as a PhD student working on the iBOF project LOCO (The Low Countries: Crossroads of Europe from the Neolithic to the Late Middle Ages). We’re happy to have you on board! 🎉 shoc.research.vub.be/nl/new-shoc-...

Since November, SHOC researcher William Torbeyns has been in Bologna for a three-month international research stay.

Curious about security and trade in the Late Middle Ages? Check out the blog Jurriaan wrote for Maritime Portal based on his dissertation. maritiemportal.nl/blog-het-thu...

Come join us! 📣

We are delighted to share an invitation for a book presentation by SHOC member Jolien Gijbels and Chanelle Delameillieure: ‘Consent: A history of coercion, free will and everything in between’.

Introducing Leonie: Uncovering Resistance to Women in Belgian Politics We’re excited to welcome Leonie Vanlerberghe as she begins her PhD journey exploring the opposition faced by female politicians in twentieth-century Belgium.

The SHOC Seminars are back! We are delighted to welcome Alessandro Stanziani for a lecture entitled: Earth Capital: ‘The Long History of Capitalism and its Aftermath’. Join us on 15 December for this fascinating event. Registrations are now open via [email protected].

🚨 New publication alert! In her latest article for Diplomatica, SHOC member Imma Petito (joint PhD VUB-Università di Salerno) uncovers the dynamic strategies behind Anglo-Neapolitan diplomacy in the late Middle Ages.

🎓 Congratulations, Dr Vanruysseveldt! 🎉

🎓 Congratulations, Dr Vanruysseveldt! 🎉

Save the date – 18 November 2025! SHOC member Jolien Gijbels and Chanelle Delameillieure will give a lecture “A forgotten history of consent” at the MIRY Concert Hall in Ghent on 18 November. Both historians will discuss how ideas about consent, power and the body have changed over the centuries.

The Foragers #2: Preview Screening 'Summer Grass, Winter Worm', of Matjaz Pinter, BoZar, Brussels, 12 Nov. 7 PM. Details and registration here: tinyurl.com/3ntntw5b

In a new article titled ‘Bomen en palen aan de kust van vroegmodern Amsterdam. De fluïde grens van de stad aan de hand van smokkelpraktijken’ [Booms and Poles on the Coast of Early Modern Amsterdam. The Fluid Boundary of the City Based on Smuggling Practices] for Holland Historisch Tijschrift,

Historians by Day, Snipers by Night Last Monday, our research group kicked off the week with an exhilarating team-building adventure! Right after work, we headed to Space Laser Games in Etterbeek for an intense round of laser tag 🔫

🎓 SHOC at the VUB Graduation Ceremonies! Last Monday, several members of the SHOC research group took part in VUB’s graduation celebrations at the iconic Grand Place in Brussels.

Exciting new stage of the Make-Up of the Cities project, involving SHOC members Bart Lambert, Patxi Perez Ramallo and Charlotte Van Riet! 👇 www.linkedin.com/posts/make-u...

🎉We have a champion in our midst!🎉 On 4 October, palaeographers from Flanders & the Netherlands gathered in St-Truiden for the finals of the Wat Staat Daer? Palaeography Contest. After an online preselection, the finalists had to transcribe 3 texts from the 14th, 15th & 17th centuries.

PhD defence by SHOC colleague Vicky Vanruysseveldt is approaching! 🥳 "On the road with entertainment. Income strategies and mobility among itinerant entertainers in Brabant (1750-1914)”, under supervision of prof. dr. Anne Winter.

Congratulations to SHOC members Brent Huygh and William Torbeyns, who both secured PhD funding in this year’s FWO competition🥳 Brent, supervised by Klaas Van Gelder and Hannes Ziegler (TU Dresden), will explore how villagers in 17th/18th-century Brabant & Limburg engaged with political expectations.

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.

VACATURE voor een doctoraatsonderzoeker aan de VUB (onderzoeksgroep Social History of Capitalism) en de UGent (Vakgroep Geschiedenis) in het FWO-project “Beschuldigingen en smaad op de dorpsvergadering: rurale perspectieven op sociale controle in Vlaanderen, ca. 1400–1600”.

Fascinating blog post about the early modern port of Amsterdam by SHOC member Bob Pierik (in Dutch)! 👇

Hora est: Drs Wink becomes Dr Wink! On Monday, 22 September, our colleague Jurriaan Wink successfully defended his PhD in Amsterdam.

We're thrilled to welcome Nel de Mûelenaere as the newest member of our research group! Nel de Mûelenaere is Associate Professor of Contemporary History, holder of the chair Traces of Resistance, and head of the VUB history program.

Axel joins SHOC's TvO team! We’re pleased to announce that, starting in September 2025, Axel Van der Maelen will be joining SHOC as a TvO student.

Join us for the first event in our new series The Foragers with a screening of Up on the Mountain (2022, dir. Olivier Matthon and Michael Reis), a powerful documentary following three groups of commercial mushroom pickers as they travel the “mushroom circuit” across North America.

New chapter ahead! As of 1 October, Mathijs Speecke joins SHOC as a postdoctoral researcher within the interdisciplinary iBOF project LOCO, which traces the movement of materials, people, and ideas in and out of the Low Countries from the Neolithic to the Late Middle Ages.

We welcome Arne Vinck as a Talent-for-research student! Arne studies justice, work ethics and corruption among lower law court officials in early modern Brabant under supervision of Klaas Van Gelder.

Introducing: "The Foragers": Engagements Beyond the Human A fruitful collaboration between, FORAGENCY, the VUB Casterman-Hamers Chair in the History and Philosophy of Science, and VUB CROSSTALKS has led to a series of talks, screenings and an exhibition building bridges between arts and sciences.

Trade in the late Middle Ages was risky: travel was slow, information was often incomplete, and danger was ever-present. Yet the importance of trade generally increased. Why did merchants and sailors continue to follow their trade routes, despite the dangers?

Meet Rhea Mertes, our new SHOC colleague! Rhea obtained her MA in History at VUB, where she focused on the role of social status and origin in legal prosecution in late medieval Bruges. Her broader interests include mobility, inclusion and exclusion, and the social history of late medieval Europe.

Noémi Tomaszynski joins SHOC as a Talent for Research Student! Noémi began her studies in History at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) in 2022. Her academic interests include socio-economic and migration history, with a particular focus on the Middle Ages.

On advance access: "Fossil Energy and the Ecology of Everyday Life in the Low Countries during the Long Eighteenth Century" by Wout Saelens (University of Antwerp/VUB-University of Brussels) doi.org/10.1093/past...

In a new article in Economic History Review, Centre for Urban History and SHOC researcher Bas Spliet and Anne McCants measure the cost of the early modern consumer revolution. (read more in the posts below👇)

Bob Pierik joins SHOC! As of 1 September, Bob Pierik will join VUB and the SHOC research group as an assistant professor of early modern history. At VUB, Bob will be teaching courses on early modern, urban and cultural history.

Join Professor Hugh Kennedy (School of Oriental and African Studies, London) and Professor Frederik Buylaert (Ghent University) for the launch of SHOC member Dr. John Latham-Sprinkle's book, 'The North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, 850-1240'.