SHOC research group - Vrije Universiteit Brussel

CALL FOR PAPERS

On 20-21 May 2027, the international conference “Premodern State Formation: New Themes and Directions”, a joint initiative of the Technische Universität Dresden and VUB, will be held in Dresden, Germany. It focuses on the impact and possibilities of the Empowering Interactions approach in late medieval and early modern studies on state formation. Proposals for papers can be sent until 31 October 2026.

More information can be found on this website: https://tu-dresden.de/gsw/phil/ige/fnz/forschung/workshops-und-tagungen/tagung-vormoderne-staatenbildung

🎉 Exciting (re)publication news!

SHOC is proud to announce the digital republication of SHOC member Anne Winter's and Ellen Debackere's article, entitled “Non-Nationals between Belonging and Removal: Urban Practices of Policies towards Foreigners, Antwerp c. 1830–1880.”

The contribution forms part of the volume "Belonging across Borders: Transnational Practices in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries," also republished and edited by Levke Harders and Falko Schnicke. (Re)discover their insights here👉 https://perspectivia.net/receive/pnet_mods_00007663

In July, SHOC-member Charlotte Van Riet attended the Radiocarbon & Diet Conference in Santiago, Chile. She presented the first results of her PhD research on the city-dwellers of medieval Ypres 🏰. Find out more about it here ⬇️

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/charlotte-van-riet-17b42821b_early-july-i-attended-the-radiocarbon-ugcPost-7487447582114496512-bfcV/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAADdp-O8Bk7izfh4l812l8bMTo82q6nnpgQE

📚🏆 From Book Launch to Prize Winner: Congratulations, John Latham-Sprinkle! 🎉👏

Ten months ago, we proudly launched The North Caucasian Kingdom of Alania, 850–1240, John Latham-Sprinkle’s groundbreaking study of a little-known medieval kingdom. 📖 Today, we are delighted to celebrate another remarkable achievement: John has been awarded the Royal Historical Society First Book Prize 2026 🏅 for this outstanding work!

Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious distinctions for early-career historians, the prize recognises original, intellectually ambitious and methodologically innovative first monographs. 🌟 As Dr Helen Paul, Chair of the RHS First Book Prize Panel 2026, noted:

"John Latham-Sprinkle’s masterly study of the Kingdom of Alania showcases how historical analysis can be brought to bear even when source material is largely absent or fragmentary. (...) John Latham-Sprinkle adeptly shows how that state was formed and brings the existing Russian historiography to a wider audience. The author not only tackles a difficult and under-researched topic but also discusses how histories can and should be written.”

👏🎉 Congratulations, John, on this well-deserved recognition! 🏆🎓

From Lisbon with medieval perspectives! 🏰

SHOC members John Latham Sprinkle and Imma Petito recently took part in Small Worlds, Big Worlds: Medieval Mediterranean Perspectives, organised by the Society for the Medieval Mediterranean (SMM). Bringing together scholars from across the field, the SMM provides an excellent forum for exchange between specialists of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean.

Imma opened the proceedings with a paper exploring how Genoese merchants became valued diplomatic partners to English kings during the reign of Edward IV, highlighting their evolving role beyond commerce into the political sphere.

John, together with Andres Mesa, presented research tracing the emergence of sixteenth century slaving networks from fifteenth century Genoese and Florentine merchant networks spanning the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. In a separate paper, John also reflected on the wider implications of these findings, particularly the possibility that credit based slave trading with local elites in West Africa was consciously modelled on practices developed in the Black Sea.

Class and gender at the ballot box: revisiting the 1961 Belgian elections

Why did an experienced female politician lose her place on the electoral list? And what role did class and gender play in that decision?
At the European Conference for Politics & Gender at Newcastle University, SHOC member Leonie Vanlerberghe presented her research on the Belgian politician Maria Van Sina. Although Van Sina had served as a Member of Parliament for the CVP since 1950, she was denied a winnable position on the party's electoral list in the 1961 elections. Her place was instead given to a trade unionist.
Drawing on newspaper articles, personal correspondence, and campaign material from Maria Van Sina's personal archive, Leonie's research shows that not only social class—Van Sina came from the upper middle class—but also gender shaped this decision. These sources also provide a unique insight into how Van Sina challenged the decision within her party and subsequently launched a campaign focused on securing preference votes.
A fascinating case that sheds new light on the intersections of class, gender, and political power in post-war Belgium.

Medici Florence was a magnet for craftsmanship from the Low Countries!🏛️

Yesterday, Belgian newspaper De Standaard featured the migration research of SHOC members William Torbeyns and Bart Lambert, together with KU Leuven colleague Jelle Haemers 📰
Drawing on the membership registers of a migrant confraternity, they show that in the fifteenth century, hundreds of people from the Low Countries—men, women and children alike—made their way to Florence 🧳⛪. These migrants came not only from major urban centres such as Ghent, Bruges and Brussels, but also from smaller towns like Peer, Diest and Herk-de-Stad.
Many found work in the Florentine linen industry 🧵, while others were active as bakers, barbers, and musicians 🍞🎶
Their study was published in BMGN – Low Countries Historical Review 📚 and is available in open access here: https://bmgn-lchr.nl/article/view/23149
https://www.standaard.be/natuur-en-wetenschap/linnenwevers-bakkers-en-muzikanten-al-in-de-15de-eeuw-lokte-firenze-vakmanschap-uit-de-lage-landen/157470275.html

Al in de 15de eeuw lokte Firenze vaklui uit de Lage Landen: “De mondreclame deed haar werk: daar was werk te vinden” De Bourgondische tijd was niet voor iedereen een periode van cultureel en economisch hoogtij. Veel mensen emigreerden, op zoek naar een beter leven. Dat blijkt uit de ledenlijst van een Florentijnse vereniging van nieuwkomers in de Toscaanse stad.

Last Friday, many SHOC members attended the opening of wOnderland in Ieper 🎉. This exhibition at the Yper Museum shows what archaeological finds from beneath the city, and the interdisciplinary research carried out on them, can tell us about the medieval urban environment and its inhabitants 🏛️

One of the key elements in the exhibition is the isotopic and osteological work carried out by SHOC member Charlotte Van Riet, together with her colleagues Martijn Jacobs and Lucy Koster from the Make-Up of the Cities project, led by Bart Lambert 🔬. Their research demonstrates in a fascinating way how the study of human skeletal remains can shed light on the origins, diets, mobility, health, and lifestyles of medieval city-dwellers 🦴
wOnderland can be visited until April 2027 📅

https://www.ypermuseum.be/nl/wonderland

Our second podcast featuring Bart Lambert is a treat especially for our French speaking followers🎧—but it’s just as fascinating for anyone interested in the historical impact of pandemics!

It’s the first episode of the series Contagions – une histoire des épidémies, a collaboration between our Francophone sister university ULB and Belgian public broadcaster RTBF, tracing epidemics across human history 📚🌍.
This episode zooms in on the late medieval plague, including the discovery of the Yersinia pestis bacterium in 14th century human remains uncovered in Sint-Truiden (in the east of present day Belgium) 🧬📍. The find was made by an interdisciplinary team led by KU Leuven. Bart, who contributed to the team’s subsequent publication, discusses what this discovery means—and how it helps us better understand and interpret historical sources from times of pandemic.
The episode, as well as the seven others in the series, is now available on RTBF Auvio platform 🎙️👇
https://auvio.rtbf.be/media/contagions-une-histoire-des-epidemies-contagions-une-histoire-des-epidemies-3486479

The series will also be released on other platforms and broadcast on RTBF radio in August 📻

Get ready for the Big Bart Lambert Podcast Weekend! 🎧

Over the next few days, we’re excited to share not one but two brand-new podcast episodes featuring SHOC colleague Bart Lambert. 🎙️📚

First up: a fresh episode from the English Heritage podcast—the charity that cares for hundreds of historic sites across England 🏰. Released to mark International Refugee Day tomorrow 🌍, this episode explores refugee movements in medieval Europe.
Bart joins English Heritage historian Will Wyeth to discuss how people from all walks of life fled the devastation of the Hundred Years’ War ⚔️, the Wars of Scottish Independence 🛡️, and natural disasters in the Low Countries 🌊.

You can listen now on Spotify, Apple, or Google Podcasts👇

The English Heritage Podcast Every object has a story to tell. But how can one mystery item lead us on a journey through history, people and places? In the English Heritage podcast, comedian and writer Amy Matthews brings you entertaining tales from unexpected places. Each week, we begin with a mystery item and with the help of...