趋新求变与学科融合:论丁骕的西南民族研究

Pursuit of Innovation and Integration of Disciplines:On William S. Ting’s Study on Ethnic Minorities of Southwestern China

从20世纪30年代中期到40年代,丁骕试图以人种学和历史记载为核心,建立贯通性的西南民族起源及其流变体系。丁骕的西南民族研究,以求新和学科融合为主要特点。求新方面,丁骕在民族研究过程中始终保持求新求变的态度,不囿于成见,敢否定自我。学科融合方面,丁骕以人种地理学为起点,以历史记载为主干,先后融合历史学、人类学、语言学、地理学等学科的理论与方法,系统阐述西南或云南民族的源流,促进了当时西南民族研究甚至整个边疆研究的开展,深化了当时国人对西南少数民族、对于整个中华民族的认知。对今天的学术研究,也提供了有益的启示。

From mid-1930 s to the 1940 s, William S. Ting attempted to establish a coherent system of the origin and evolution for the ethnic minorities of southwestern China on the basis of ethnology and historical records. Ting’s research on the ethnic minorities of southwestern China is characterized by pursuit of innovation and integration of disciplines. In terms of pursuit of innovation, Ting stuck to an attitude of seeking new views and dared to deny himself without being bound by preconceptions. In terms of integration of disciplines, starting from ethnography and focusing on historical records, Ting integrated the theories and methods of history, anthropology, linguistics, geography and other disciplines, systematically expounding the origin and evolution of the ethnic minorities in Yunnan Province or southwestern China, which promoted the study on ethnic minorities of southwestern China and even the study on the whole frontier areas, and deepened the understanding of the ethnic minorities of southwestern China as well as the whole Chinese nation at that time. It is also of useful enlightenment for our academic researches today.