中国边疆学:学术争鸣的回顾与学科发展的前瞻——基于“边疆建构论”与“边疆实在论”争鸣引发的思考

The Retrospect and Prospect of Frontier Studies in China--Reflections on“Constructed Frontier”vs.“Frontier as Reality”

“边疆建构论”认为“边疆是建构的产物”,“边疆实在论”认为边疆是“实在”而非“建构”的产物。“边疆建构论”和“边疆实在论”的分歧涉及边疆属性的认知问题,因而引发了学界的关注和拓展性研究。学界在介入或旁涉“边疆建构论”和“边疆实在论”争鸣的拓展性研究中,依然对“边疆的内涵与外延”“边疆研究的逻辑起点”“边疆的基本属性”“边疆学学科归属”等问题存在严重分歧。这类边疆研究“元命题”的学术分歧彰显出中国边疆学学科建构的深层次困境。事实上,考虑到“理论逻辑与现实逻辑相统一”的原则和“中西边疆研究学术对话”的需要,当前中国边疆学学科建构理应将各种新型边疆形态纳入自我研究范畴之中,并以“文明国家”(中华文明国家)为中国边疆研究的基本理论预设,最终在边疆学科支系的繁荣、对话、融合和提升的基础上,完成中国边疆学学科的自主性建构。

The theory of Constructed Frontier holds that frontier is the product of construction,while that of Frontier as Reality holds that frontier is a reality rather than something constructed.This contention arises from different understandings of what constitutes the Frontier in China,reflecting the different views of scholars on various subjects in China’s Frontier Studies.These differences mean that there is still a long way to go in the construction of China's Frontier studies as an academic discipline.In fact,the current construction of China’s Frontier Studies should accommodate various new forms of the Frontier,using the concept of“civilized nation”as the basic theoretical assumption to promote the self-construction of China’s Frontier Studies through dialogue and communication between the sub-schools of the discipline.