二十世纪以来中西史学理论比较史研究

A Brief Discussion on Comparitive History of Chinese and Western Theories of History in the 20th Century

20世纪以来中国史学研究难以离开西方因素的影响。在20世纪,中国史家从悲愤走向自信,因此近现代中国史学发展的历史也是一部学术信心重构的心理史。中西史学理论比较的历史与现实,贯穿着这一心路历程。20世纪中西史学理论比较历程可划分三段,每一阶段的突出特点是:第一阶段以西律中,反古制、求革新,重目的方法之比较;第二阶段则借西释中,鉴它者、塑自我,重概念史观之比较;第三阶段求异志同,辨同异、明一多,重思维类型之比较。这三个阶段依次展开,对于中西史学理论比较研究的步步深入,也不断加深我们对于中西史学本质特征的领悟。当前,在这一研究领域中,中国史家占据了主导位置,西方史家的介入则有可能为我们提供更为广阔的视野。

Research on Chinese historigraphy since the 20th century finds it hard to escape the influence of the West. Chinese historians have outgrown grief and indignation and become confident,which is at once a development history of modern and contemporary historiography and a psychological history showing how the academic field picked up their confidence again. This article divides the comparative history of Chinese and Western theories of history in the 20th century into three stages:the characteristic of the first stage is that historians used Western method of historiography to restrain the Chinese way,opposed the old ways,sought reform and emphasized the comparison of aims and methods of history; in the second stage,however,histories borrowed strength from West historiography in the interpretation of Chinese historiography,reflected the Western historiography so as to reshape Chinese historiography,and emphasized the comparison of concepts and historical view; in the third stage,historians sought after differences between Western and Chinese historiography while keeping the common ground in mind,distinguished the similarities and differences,sought differences from similarities,and emphasized the comparison of thinking styles. The above three stages opened up one after another,each exploring further in the research of comparison between Chinese and Western theories of history,and each deepening our understanding of the essential characteristic of Chinese and Western historiography. At present,Chinese historians plays a dominant role in this field of study while the participating of western historians is likely to provide a wider field of vision for us.