文本、仪式与近代滇缅边疆的转变:人类学田野经验中的历史

Text,Ritual and Social Transformation of Yunnan-Myanmar Frontier:History Viewed in Anthropological Field Work

人类学家和历史学家在研究方法论以及他们对于社会关系的解释等方面有很多共同点,但双方也存在着不少差异。透过地方社群日常生活中的仪式实践,可以反思日常生活脉络中的历史诠释与仪式实践的关系,以及人类学的观察角度与历史学者所关注的社会与制度变迁研究之间的差别。此外,以滇缅边疆近代社会的转变及其研究为例,研究者需要从整体性的地方社会脉络来理解不同人群的文本诠释策略,既需要解释文字材料与地方社群之间的关系,也需要深入研究文本过程、历史诠释与边疆社会生活的转变之间的关系。

There are similarities as well differences between anthropologists and historians in their research methods and the ways they interpret social relations.A scrutiny of ritual practices of the local communities in everyday life allows one to see more clearly how historical interpretations are related to such practices and how anthropologists differ from historians in their perspectives in interpreting social and institutional transformations over time.Take,for instance,the studies of the social transformations of Yunnan-Myanmar border in modern times.Researchers need to take into account the whole structure of the local society in order to understand how different groups interpret texts,and how these texts are related to local communities.They also need to look at how the process of textual⁃ization,and its historical interpretation is related to social transformations of the social life in the area.