关于中国大学史研究的若干思考

Reflections on the Study of Chinese University History

近年来,大学史研究方兴未艾。由大学组织的校史编写工作开始于20世纪80年代,其编写多是为了迎合校方的宣传需要,成果多为通史性著述,分析框架比较单一,缺乏深度,少有深入研究的成果;学者个人的大学史研究起步较晚,他们大多选择与大学史有关的某一专题深入研究,其研究更多地受到近代史观变化的影响,引入了社会生活史、政治文化史等研究方法和新的视角,表达上也更自由,产生了诸多佳作。大学校史写作应该把握住两条主线,一是大学发展中学术与政治、学府与政府的关系,二是学校体制、学科建设、科学研究、学校经费、师生情况、课程设置、校园文化等影响大学自身发展的内部因素。紧紧围绕上述两条主线,尽可能全面地收集、辨别、分析使用相关史料,同时吸收比较史、计量史和口述史等领域的多种研究方法。

Studies on Chinese university history is going on well in recent years.Compiling work organized by the university officials started from the 1980s,with the purpose to meet the needs of the university's publicity.However,most of them are general history works with a simple and shallow analytical framework,fewer of which are exceptions as in-depth studies.In contrast,such studies by individual scholars started later with a focus on a special relevant subject followed by deeper and further investigations.Influenced by the modern research paradigms,individual scholars introduced new research methods and perspectives from political and sociocultural sciences and relatively more freedom of expressions into their study,which,as a result,brought about more better outcomes.Two major lines should be followed in university history writing,the former linking the relationship between science and politics and the relationship between university and government;while the other linking the internal factors in terms of the university's system,discipline construction,scientific research,expenditure,faculty and students,curriculum and campus culture that are important in its self-development.Accordingly,broadly collected data should be classified and analyzed in detail,with consideration of various research methods,e.g.comparative,quantitative and narrative methods.