研究与借鉴:20世纪80年代以来以英语为语言媒介的华侨华人研究现状述评--以部分英文著(编)作品为例

On the Current State of Overseas Chinese Studies with English as the Language Medium since the 1980s: A Case Study of Some English Works

长期以来,国内学者梳理和评述的华侨华人研究文献主要是以汉语为语言媒介,而对于以其他语言为媒介的文献关注度明显不够。本文选取的评述对象则是20世纪80年代以来,以英语为语言媒介的华侨华人研究文献。通过文献研究发现,以英语为语言媒介的华侨华人研究呈现出地域范围囊括全球、世界各地的学者参与研究、研究的主题和学科参与多样化等特点。而且,这些以英语为语言媒介开展研究的学者们孜孜不倦、持之以恒、精益求精、勇于创新的研究精神和实践值得我们学习。但与此同时,仍存在国内学者外语能力不足,在以英语为语言媒介的华侨华人研究中,中国学者的参与度不高,无法与国际同行有效交流与对话等缺憾。如若能克服以上不足,国内学者定能在华侨华人研究这一世界事业中烙下鲜明的中国特色。

For a long time,domestic scholars have reviewed and evaluated research on the overseas Chinese written mainly in the Chinese language.However,insufficient attention has been paid to research studies on the overseas Chinese written in other languages.This paper focuses on examining existing literature written in English since the 1980s in the field of overseas Chinese studies.A thorough review of this body of literature found that publications in overseas Chinese studies with English as the medium of communication have taken various distinct characteristics:(1)overseas Chinese from all over the world have been studied;(2)the scholars conducting these research studies also come from diverse backgrounds and countries/regions;and(3)a wide variety of topics have been researched both within and across disciplines.Worth noting and learning are the spirits and practices of diligence,perseverance,excellence,and innovation from these scholarly works.In contrast,there still exist certain deficiencies on the part of domestic scholars,such as insufficiency in foreign language skills and the subsequent lack of effectiveness in communicating with their international counterparts.If the above situation can be improved,scholars in China will be able to contribute to the global community of overseas Chinese studies in important ways that display distinctive Chinese characteristics.