旧史料与新解读:对区域社会史研究的再反思

Old Historical Materials and New Interpretation: The Rethinking on the Studies of Regional Social History

近若干年来,史学界对"新史料"的追求呈现为一股热潮,在区域社会史领域内也不例外,这固然延续了历史学者重视史料的态度,但也引起了某种担心,这可能容易使人忽视传世文献以及分析传世文献的方法,并忽视传世文献中传递的那些历史信息。事实上,对旧史料做出新解读也是值得提倡的,新旧史料在历史研究中应该并重而不可偏废。

Recently the historian circle in China shows a strong trend in pursuit of 'new historical materials'. There is the same case in the field of regional social history. This of course keeps the standing of history scholars for historical materials, but arouses wide concern about that the classic literatures and the methods for understanding them as well as the information transmitted from them would be ignored. In fact, new interpretation on the old historical materials should be advocated. Whatever old or new historical materials should be paid equal attention.