The project: social and economic inequality revisited
Social historians have since long been interested in inequality. One of the most persistent ideas in historiography had been that since modernization, society had moved towards more openness, democratization and fluidity. But is this truly accurate? New studies are arguing that inequality is rising in most places while social mobility appears to be lower than previously expected and is possibly declining.
The project “Ancestor’s Tale” studies if and how wealth inequalities have actually become more – or less – rigid over the course of last two centuries. A consortium of specialists in different disciplines reconstructs patterns of wealth and intergenerational wealth transmission over a period of 200 years in Belgium. It will test the validity of potential mechanisms explaining the reproduction of wealth inequality, and finally it will examine how public opinion, redistributive policies and wealth inequality are interlinked both in historical perspective and today.
19th-20th century Belgium: social and economic transition in progress
The Belgian nation from the early 19th century until today makes a relevant case for this research project. Belgium, being the the first nation on the European continent to experience rapid mechanisation of its industries, has a society that is now characterised by a remarkably low degree of wealth inequality compared to other countries. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the situation was completely different. Back then, Belgium was the prime example of an inegalitarian, bourgeois society. This specific time-and-place configuration provides the opportunity to examine the transition from a situation of unequal social relations towards a low wealth inequality regime. It also makes it possible to research how this transition affected the intergenerational transmission of social status.
“An Ancestor’s Tale: 200 years of wealth inequality in Belgium” is an inter-university iBOF project funded by the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Universiteit Antwerpen and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. The iBOF funding aims to stimulate frontier research combining the expertise present at different universities in Flanders. The project will start in October 2023 and will last until September 2027.