方法·材料·视野:当代西方史学史研究的新趋向

Approaches,Sources,and Perspectives: Main Trends in the Western History of Historiography

传统西方史学史研究多关注经典作家及其作品,近年来,史学史研究在方法、材料和视野上都发生了巨大的变化,呈现出“去经典化”的趋向。就研究方法而言,社会史、文化史视角促使研究者关注历史知识是如何生成的。从研究材料看,受后现代思想影响,材料进一步扩充,学者们开始发掘非传统史料中的历史意识。史学史研究不再仅研究史学名宿的经典作品,大众史家、女性史家等边缘群体的作品也开始受到学者们的关注。在研究视野上,对欧洲中心论的批判促使西方学者关注非西方史学,进而将全球视野引入史学史研究之中。这种种变化打破了传统史学史研究背后的单一模式,使得当前的史学史研究呈现复杂多元的态势,促使史学史从传统历史编纂学的历史走向更具包容性的历史知识学。

Influenced by the paradigms of modern historiography,the study of historiography had been by and large focused on eminent historians and their works.Over the course of the past three decades,a process of decanonization has taken place,which induces a paradigm shift in the study of historiography.Using approaches of social history and cultural history,historians have started to pay attention to the process in which historical knowledge is being constructed as a product.Postmodernism has inspired historians to expand the scope of their understanding of historical sources.Some non-traditional sources have come to historians'attention.“Great historians”are no longer at the center of attention,and the once-marginalized historical writers,including popular historians and women historians,have aroused the interest of researchers.Meanwhile,critique of Eurocentrism pressed Western scholars to learn more about non-Western historiography,and introduced a global perspective to the study of historiography.Therefore,the study of historiography has been undergoing a paradigm shift from the history of historiography to historiology becoming simultaneously more inclusive and diverse.