教育史研究中的“神话”现象——以蔡元培和国立西南联合大学为个案的考察

The Myth in the Study of Educational History:The Case Study of Cai Yuan-pei and Lianda

民国高校相关话题是当下一大热点,特别是对蔡元培时代的北京大学和西南联大的关注。不论是蔡元培逝世后国内各界对其的纪念,还是当代高等教育改革中学者们对其的援引,不少论者是从蔡元培及其北大改革中提取某些具有象征意义的信息,来为彼时彼地或此时此地的政治、意识形态、自我修饰和情感诉求等现实需要服务。而西南联大神话产生的原因,既有回忆的不准确,也有田园牧歌式的小说为人们提供的浪漫憧憬等。然而,西南联大的自由和民主具有复杂性和多维性。出于现实的需要或是对现状的不满和诉求,而片面提取历史,并不能真正有助于改善现状,反而会阻碍我们正确理解历史。当下教育史研究要警惕这种实用主义的史学研究倾向。

The topic on universities in the Republic of China, especially on Peking University in Cai Yuan pei era and National Southwestern Associated University is at the fore- front of people＇s attention today. Whether it is the memorial to Cai Yuan-pei after his death or the citation from Cai and his reform in Beida in today＇s higher educational reform, many people distilled a particular symbolic message from Cai, to serve their political, ideological, rhetorical, and emotional needs then and now. As for the cause of Lianda Myth, it can be the inaccuracy of memory, and the romantic vision which pastoral novels provide. However, the freedom and democracy of Lianda was complicated and muhi-dimentional. To distill from the history unilaterally can hinder our understanding of the history rather than help us improve the current situation. In the history study of education, we should beware of this prag- matic trend in historical study.