从服务海外拓殖到应对全球性问题——区域国别研究的兴起与演变

From Serving Colonization to Solving Global Problems:Rise and Evolution of Area Studies

区域国别研究是指运用语言学、人类学、历史学等不同学科对具有显著一致性的特定区域或国家进行的系统研究。这一研究兴起于地理大发现之后的殖民时代,成熟于美苏争霸时期,在经济全球化的推动下向纵深发展。就研究目的而言,早期欧洲的区域国别研究服务于欧洲列强的殖民开拓;美苏两大阵营的区域国别研究服务于霸权争夺;冷战结束后,随着全球化的推进和全球性问题的挑战日益严峻,以中国为代表的区域国别研究更关注解决全球性问题。就理论和实践而言,熟练掌握当地语言是进行区域国别研究的首要条件,我国区域国别研究的真正成熟在一定程度上有赖于外国语言教学水平的提高和研究的深化。

Area studies refer to the systematic studies of specific areas or countries with significant homogeneity by applying theories and methodology of various disciplines such as linguistics,anthropology and history.Such studies commenced in the Age of Discovery,grew up in the period when the USA and the USSR struggled for hegemony,and developed in depth in the era of globalization.As for the purposes,area studies in early Europe served the colonization of European powers;the USA and the USSR conducted such studies to facilitate struggles for hegemony;and after the end of the Cold War,with the advancement of globalization and the increasing challenges of global problems,area studies,as represented by those in China,have been more concerned with solutions to global problems.In terms of theory and practice,mastering local language is the prerequisite to carrying out area studies.The true maturity of China’s area studies might depend on the deepening of research supported by the improvement of foreign language teaching.