Submit an Artifact

Contribute to Artifacts of Capitalism

Artifacts of Capitalism is a collaborative, scholarly platform. We welcome contributions from registered users who wish to document artifacts and insights related to capitalism’s development during the early modern period, roughly 1500-1700. All documents or artifacts should be prefaced with a short abstract of about 500 words describing how it records the experience of early modern economic life. We ask that you pay attention to both the similarities and differences between that experience and our own theoretical or personal understanding of capitalism. Alterity or continuity should not be assumed. Each should be carefully considered and described when appropriate.

Each submitted artifact should include an abstract of about 500 words explaining how it records, imagines, regulates, resists, or describes economic life. We’re especially interested in how early modern experiences of labor, value, obligation, leisure, credit, and survival do (and do not) resemble what we call capitalism today. Continuity should not be assumed; difference should not be romanticized. Treat both as historical claims that need to be argued.

Step 1. Register for an account

You’ll need an account to create a draft submission. Registration is free.

Create an account

Step 2. Start your draft submission

After you’re logged in, use this form to create a draft page. Drafts are not public. An editor will review and move approved work into the main collection.

Title of your artifact

This phrase will become the page title.

Historical area / period Tudor artifacts Elizabethan artifacts Jacobean artifacts Carolinian artifacts Interregnum artifacts

This selection helps route your draft to the appropriate curator.

Clicking “Create Draft Page” will open a new draft in the wiki editor. Nothing becomes public yet.

Submission Guidelines

• Write in clear academic prose and follow the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)

• While there is no strict length requirement, please aim for at least 500 words of analysis.

• Anyone with an account can begin drafting. All new work is created in the Draft: space. Drafts are reviewed by an editor before they are added to the main collection.

• If your contribution is not yet visible, it may still be under review. You can track its progress on the “My Contributions” page or by contacting an editor.

This editorial process ensures accuracy, scholarly integrity, and a consistent user experience for scholars, teachers, and students.