波兰尼的经济模式与两河流域经济史研究

Karl Polanyi's Three Patterns of Economic Integration and Their Impact on the Study of Mesopotamian Economic History

卡尔·波兰尼首次提出的经济体制"嵌入"社会制度的理论影响深远,但他关于古代经济的论述在国内学术界尚未引起关注。本文聚焦于波兰尼从其"嵌入"理论发展而出的互惠、再分配和市场三种经济模式学说,揭示他认为两河流域不存在市场这一结论背后的史实依据和论证过程,并评述他的三种模式和以上结论在两河流域经济史研究中所激起的学术争议与交锋。波兰尼学说对于这一领域的贡献并不在于其具体结论,而在于能够鼓励习惯于实证研究的学者对本领域的研究范式进行探讨和反思,进而寻求从宏观视野把握两河流域经济发展的特点。

Karl Polanyi is well-known for his theory of embeddedness,but his publications on ancient economies remain little noticed in Chinese academia. This article provides an introduction to his three modes of economic integration,which are reciprocity,redistribution,and market,that he developed in studying economic history. It then presents his study of ancient Mesopotamian economy and discusses his observation that there had not existed marketplace in Mesopotamia. The author examines Polanyi's evidence,analyzes his argument, and reviews the controversy caused by his observation among scholars of ancient Mesopotamia. She concludes that although his specific conclusions may not hold water any longer,Polanyi has contributed to the study of Mesopotamian economy by inspiring later scholars to approach the field from a more theoretical and comprehensive perspective,resulting in the progress that transcends empirical data collection and rudimentary interpretation.