见证记述的史料价值——以《退想斋日记》中的教民群体形象为例

The academic value of narratives from witnesses

历史经历者分为直接参与者与见证者。见证者记述是历史事件重要的史料来源,不但提供了某种视角下的解读,而且呈现了历史叙述的新方式。但是,见证者因叙述来源的间接性和事件的非直接参与性,对历史事件的解读存在一定的片面性,因此,对见证者记述应保持必要的谨慎。

participants in a historic event can be classified into direct participants and witnesses depending on the degree of involvement. The narratives of witnesses become very important when direct participants be- come voiceless. These narratives become an important source of records for historical events. Their value for history research lies in the provision of not only a perspective interpreting the history but also a new way of de- scribing the history. However, because witnesses are not direct participants in those historic events, their nar- ratives are indirect and could be limited in the interpretation of the historic event. For this reason, we should be cautious when we use narratives of witnesses.