社会学美国化的历程及其对构建中国特色社会学的启示

The Americanization of Sociology and Lessons for Constructing Sociology with Chinese Characteristics

回顾社会学美国化的历史,借鉴其经验和教训,对建构中国特色社会学学术体系具有特殊的价值和意义。本文就社会学美国化的历程从三个方面加以梳理:社会学早期发展与经济学和统计学的关系,以统计技术和科学地位作为合法性的学科独立,以及"范式"概念受到的挑战与多元化的社会学取向的形成。基于社会学美国化的经验和教训,本文提出对构建中国特色社会学三个方面的重要启示:一是在学术体系中的理论话语上,要以社会学的学术立场,回应中国和世界的时代重大命题;二是在社会学作为学科的方法定位上,要重视实质性问题,避免极端量化科学主义;三是社会学学术体系要具有开放包容性,实现学者学术地位与公共影响的相互促进。

Establishing the discipline of sociology with Chinese characteristics is the shared academic pursuit of Chinese sociologists in the new era.A critical and reflexive historical review of the experience and lessons of the Americanization of sociology is valuable.The Americanization of sociology was a process consisting of three stages,which will be reviewed chronologically in this study.At the first stage,the symbiosis of sociology,economics and statistics emerged.At the second stage,the legitimacy of sociology as an independent discipline was pursued via statistical technology-based scientism.At the last stage,American sociology faced a paradigmatic challenge and started to accept the pluralism of multiple sociological approaches.Inspired by these American experience and lessons,the author offers three important insights for constructing sociology with Chinese characteristics.Firstly,the theoretical discourses should respond to the current and important domestic and global issues from the academic perspective of sociology.Secondly,sociology as a discipline should develop its methodologies to address substantive social issues rather than follow the American example of quantitative scientism.Finally,the academic system of sociology should be open and inclusive to sociologists with varied academic achievements and public influence to ensure a balanced development of the academia.