贵族话语与雅典民主政治的关系——以“刺杀僭主”叙事为中心

The Relationship Between Elite Discourse and Athenian Democracy:Centering on the “Tyrant-killing” Narrative

传统观点认为,虽然古典时期的雅典人创造了民主制,但并未发展出相应的民主政治话语,贵族的传统价值观和意识形态始终在民主政治中居于主导地位。然而,对"刺杀僭主"叙事的分析表明,贵族发明的话语传统可以在公共空间内被大众转化为城邦的政治话语,进而在新的历史语境中被民主化,为民主政治话语提供符号、仪式和形象,成为民主制的有机组成部分。这说明,古典时期雅典民主政治对旧时代政治符号的继承,并不等于贵族话语对民主政治的胜利。能够在新的政治语境中对旧叙事进行创造性改编,反而说明民主政治有能力利用旧传统的养分,创造出属于自身的政治话语。

It has long been hold that even though Athenians invented democracy,they did not create political discourse of democracy,the discourse tradition and political ideology invented by the nobilities had never been challenged.However,the study on"tyrant-killing"discourse shows that,in public space discourse tradition of the noble could be transformed into political discourse of the polis,and then became democratic in new historical context and furnished icons,rituals and images for democratic discourse.In Classical Athens,the use of traditional images and discourse of the noble in new age did not mean Athenian democracy was dominated by noble discourse.On the contrary,the productive reinvention of old discourse in new political context showed democracy were able to make use of noble tradition to create political discourse of their own.