解读安东尼·D·史密斯相关著述中的几个关键性术语

本文重点介绍和解读安东尼·D·史密斯相关著述中的几个关键性术语,以便于国内读者和研究者更好地把握当代西方民族与民族主义理论中的一些基本概念。首先,史密斯认为“民族”和“族群”都是某种人们共同体,但后者通常没有政治目标,在很多情况下没有公共文化,甚至没有疆域空间。在史密斯以及目前西方学界的研究中,一般是从“民族”和“族群”两个层面来剖析人类共同体的演进及其与民族主义之间的关系。其次,针对民族与国家很少完全重合的实际情况,史密斯用“民族的国家”(nationalstate)取代“民族-国家”(nation-state)。第三,史密斯提出民族主义是一种“政治的宗教”,而民族主义的“神圣事物”就是“民族”(nation)本身,其“神圣性”表现为四个方面共同体、领土、历史和命运。即使在全球化的作用下,民族主义也不会轻易退出历史舞台。

The article mainly introduces and analyses some key terms in A. D. Smith＇s works to help Chinese readers grasp the basic concepts in the study of nation and nationalism in the West. Firstly, A. D. Smith holds that ＂nation＂ and ＂ethnic group＂ are all human communities with the latter usually lacking a political goal, a shared culture and even a territorial dimension. Generally speaking, A. D. Smith and other contemporary scholars in the West are inclined to diagnose the relations between the evolvement of human community and nationalism in terms of ＂nation＂ and ＂ethnic group＂. Secondly, concerning the fact that the concept of nation seldom comes across the concept of state completely, A. D. Smith prefers ＂national state＂ to ＂nation - state＂. Thirdly, A. D. Smith argues that nationalism is a kind of ＂political religion＂, and ＂the sacred thing＂ about it is ＂nation＂ itself. The sacredness of nationalism lies in human community, territory, history and destiny, and will hardly fade out of history even in the background of globalization.