I study history and sociology, and research and teach in these disciplines. I am professor of historical sociology/social science history in Utrecht, and honorary research fellow at the International Institute of  Social History. 

My chosen field is social solidarity and inequality world wide from 1500 to the present.

My  research on social solidarity deals with INGOs en TSMOs, philanthropy, charity, mutual aid and insurance.

My research on social inequality deals with occupational change, intergenerational mobility, career mobility and partner choice.