文化史研究向何处去

Where Should the Research of Cultural History Go

“文化史”是研究者以文化的眼光来看待历史。至于什么是“文化的眼光”,这就要回到一般所谓“大文化”观念上去。“大文化”观念认为,“文化”就是“自然的人化”。在历史研究中,文化与文化史无疑是重要的,但它们的地位必须在历史的语境中,由人类实践活动的坐标系来确定。来自新文化史的启示,对于人们思考文化史基本理论与方法问题具有积极建构意义,但与此同时,文化史研究者也应警惕新文化史内在的隐忧,借助新文化史提出的问题思考文化史研究的走向:首先,新文化史并非文化史发展路径中必经的一站,二者学术旨趣相近,可以互相借鉴,但是不能相互替代;其次,文化史必须从它在后现代主义——新文化史那里所能找寻到的认同点中谨慎选择,在“再现”与“建构”、“想象”与“实践”之间找到平衡点,不至于矫枉过正;再次,文化史必须致力于碎化历史与总体史的制衡。

Cultural history is that the researchers have an insight of culture to history. As far as what is ＂insight of culture＂, we should go back to the so-called conception of ＂big culture＂. That means culture is humanization of nature. The status of culture and cultural history should tice. The inspiration coming from new cultural history gives us not only s localization. In virtue of those questions brought forward by new cultural be confirmed by human＇s pracome active advices but also some tendency of cultural history better. First, new cultural history is not one ne story, we can think about the cessary phase but one matey; Secondly, cultural history must discover the balance between representation and construction, imagination and practice;Thirdly, cultural history must assort fragmented history with whole history.