世界历史与世界和平:陈衡哲世界历史观初探

World History and World Peace:An Analysis of Chen Hengzhe's View of World History

陈衡哲是中国世界史研究的先驱人物,她的《西洋史》是民国第一批世界史教材之一。她的世界历史观以主张世界和平为基础,强调文化是世界历史的重要内容,文化交流是历史发展的重要推动力,并认为各国的政治和社会发展道路可以有多种选择。尽管她的世界史观存在凸显精英意识这一局限,但她的世界历史观念及其研究和教学实践,尤其是她对世界和平的执著追求和包含中国的"世界历史观",对中国世界史学科的发展具有重要的启迪意义。

Chen Hengzhe was a forerunner of world history studies in China. Her monograph, History of The West, was one of the earliest textbooks in the Republic of China era. Her view of world history was based on peace. She thought cultures and cultural communications were important contents and served as the drive force of world history. She believed different countries could choose different ways to develop their politics and societies. Her view of world history gave too much priority to social elites, which was a disadvantage. But her world history studies and other ideas, especially her pursuit of world peace in narrating world history, have exerted a great impact on later developments of world history in China.