浪漫主义史学与19世纪中期美利坚民族认同的构建

Romantic Historiography and the Building of American National Identity in the mid-19th Century

美国的浪漫主义史学对自然的关注赋予了19世纪中期的移民不同于欧洲的自然的属性,这种界定确立了美国人对新土地和新环境的认同。浪漫主义对于民族文化和民族精神的强调使乔治·班克罗夫特等史学家在对美国立国历程的叙述中,揭示了美利坚民族的源起、民族特性,以及美利坚的民族使命等重要主题。由于浪漫主义史学的观念建立在社会共识的基础上,19世纪中期的美国正处于文化独立和寻求自我认同的过程中,所以历史著作中凸显的美利坚特性有助于公众认识自身的源起,也使这个年轻的民族找到了未来使命之所在。浪漫主义史学观念对于民族国家历史的认识,推动了理念上和现实中的美国公民身份的塑造,从而推动了美利坚民族认同的构建。

The American romantic historians' concern with nature defined how mid-19th-century immigrants viewed America. This established their deep connection with the new continent and was different than their European experience. The Romanticists' emphasis on a national culture and national spirit can be seen in George Bancroft's narration of the nation building process of the United States,the national origin,national characteristics,and national mission of the American people. Since the concept of Romantic history was based on the public interest and common social values,and since America was trying to construct her national culture and searching for selfidentity in the mid-19th century,which could distinguish America from the old Europe,the American characteristics explored in the national history helped the public to form their own origin story and to bolster their confidence in the young nation's future.