My current research focusses on the formation of urban communities in late medieval Europe, with a special attention to the role of voluntary associations (guilds, confraternities and neighbourhood associations) in the emergence of networks of solidarity. I am working on a book project on this topic.
Furthermore, I am interested in digital mapping as a tool for historical research. Therefore, I initiated a project aimed at developing a historical Geographic Information System (GIS) for the Dutch town of Leiden.
Finally, following-up on earlier research, I have an interest in the history of noble elites in the medieval Low Countries.
Completed research projects:
- Ranking the towns. Nieuw licht op de bevolkingsdichtheid van middeleeuwse steden (University of Groningen)
- Historisch Leiden in kaart. Een digitale infrastructuur voor onderzoekers en publiek (University of Amsterdam / University of Groningen)
- Historisch Leiden in kaart. Een dynamische digitale atlas (University of Amsterdam / University of Groningen)
- Age of Trust and Cooperation? The Social Fabric of Urban Communities in England, Italy and the Low Countries, c. 1350-1550 (Utrecht University / University of Amsterdam)
- Constructing Solidarities. Kinship Ties and Social Networks in the Urban Communities of Italy and the Low Countries, 1250-1550 (European University Institute, Florence)
- Families, Corporations and Institutions. The Role of Trust in the Formation of Urban Communities in Western Europe, 1250-1500 (Birkbeck, University of London)
- The History of the Province of Zeeland (Utrecht University)
- Nobility in Zeeland. Power, Wealth and Status in a Late Medieval Society (Leiden University)
Arie van Steensel 