“历史地理学”还是“地理历史学”?——英国历史地理学方法论视野下的中国式问题评议

“Historical geography” or “geographical history”? A study of some relevant issues in China from the perspective of the historical geography of Britain

在国内历史地理学的本土语境中,"地理历史学"这一概念几乎从未进入专业研究者的话语体系。一些现代地理学者认为,以往的中国历史地理学实际属于地理历史研究范畴,前者之名掩盖了后者的存在;进而主张建立一门与历史地理学并驾齐驱的新学科——地理历史学。事实上,类似争议在以英美为代表的英语国家学术界亦曾发生过。对此,英国著名历史地理学家达比和贝克都曾有所阐释和辨析,值得镜鉴。本文重申只有将历史地理学视为沟通和融会地理学与历史学两大传统学科之间领域的学术关怀,才能摆脱古往今来两者各自立足于本位而提出的片面见解。重视西方历史地理学方法论的形成与发展,有助于厘清这一争议话题的本质,也有利于推动本土学科自身的理论建构。

In the context of the historical geography of China, it seems that the concept of u geographical historytered the discourse of the Chinese historical geographers. Some modern geographers hold that the previous Chinesography should be classified into the research of geographical history while the former conceals the existence of the fore, they advocate the establishment of u geographical history” , a new branch of learning parallel with uhistoIn fact,similar debates have occurred among the scholars concerned in the English-speaking countries, of which Henry CliffordDarby and Alan Reginald Harold Baker , two highly gifted British scholars in the field of historical geography , have an incisive analysis. Only through regarding u historical geography” as the bridge connecting geography with historiography can we avoid the one - sided views based onthe separation of geography from historiography. A historical study of the methodolog of the histori-cal geography of the West will help reveal the essence of this discipline and promote its localization in China.