国家建设:符号系统政治功能的转向

State Building:The Turning of Political Function of Symbolic System

随着人类历史发展至近代,国家成为世界主要主权单位。传统帝国的等级秩序逐渐解体,确立了主权原则的现代国家不再以开疆拓土为使命,而是必须将重心放在国家建设上来,实现国家的发展与强大。相应地,曾经创造了王权统治神话的政治符号体系的任务也不再是维护等级专制,而是作为上层建筑内容之一担负起维护国家统一、构建国家认同、助力国家治理、实现社会整合等使命。针对现代国家需要完成的合法性建设、共同体意识建设、国家能力建设和权力关系建设等任务,符号体系的政治功能从神化转向象征、从区分转向整合、从控制转向治理、从支配转向动员。政治符号功能四个方面的转向也体现了当今世界各国面对国际竞争推进社会发展实现全球治理的主题与追求。

With the history of human developed to modern times,the state has become the main sovereign unit in the world.The hierarchical order of the traditional empire has gradually disintegrated,and the modern countries which have established the principle of sovereignty will no longer take territory expanding as their mission,but must focus on national construction to realize the development and strength of the country.Accordingly,the task of the political symbolic system which has created the myth of monarchy is no longer to maintain hierarchical autocracy,but to take on the tasks of maintaining national unity,building national identity,assisting national governance and realizing social integration as one of the superstructure contents.In view of the tasks of legitimacy building,community consciousness building,national capacity building and power relationship building that modern countries need to accomplish,the political function of symbol system has changed from deification to symbol,from distinction to integration,from control to governance,from domination to mobilization.The turning of the four aspects of political symbols’function also reflects the theme and pursuit of countries allover the world when facing the international competition.