对中国近代“民间社会”问题的再认识

On Several Problems of“Civil Society”in Early Modern China

西方学界的民间社会(civil society)理论或可作为考察近代中国社会的一个视角。19世纪中期以来,西风东渐之下,中国资本主义经济有所发展,资产阶级、新型知识分子阶层初步形成,成为近代民间社会的主体力量。"civil society"一词译为"民间社会",或较为妥当:既表明近代中国民间社会与传统社会的民间社会的联系,亦可显示开始形成的近代民间社会那种既已开始脱离官方控制,但又未能完全独立自主的过渡性特点。

The theory of＂civil society＂from western academic community may be used to study the society of early modern China. Since the middle of the 19 th century, under the spread of western influence to the east, Chinese capitalistic economy has developed to some extent; classes of capitalists and new intellectuals have shaped initially and formed the main force of early modern civil society. It may be appropriate to translate ＂civil society＂ as ＂minjian shehui＂ for the reason that it not only shows the connection of civil society in early Chinese modern society and traditional society, but displays the transitional feature of the new modern civil society which is the society has begun to depart from the official control but not been completely dependent yet.