美国民族史学知识体系生成的背景环境与影响

Background and Environment of the Formation of a Knowledge System of American Ethnohistory and Its Influence

美国民族史学经历了百年的发展历程。其从民族学人类学、历史学学科边际中生发出来,作为一种具有专属意义的、独立的、一体化的知识体系的美国民族史学:一方面,美国民族史学既是二战以来美国及西方民族学人类学、历史学学科从分野并行到趋近发展的一种产物,也是美国及西方民族学人类学、历史学学科相互借鉴研究视野方法,逐渐形成新的研究范式,学科知识生产能力得到提升的一种体现;既是文化反思、“他者”重构的一种重要产物。另一方面,美国民族史学的孕育、凸显与繁盛及其知识体系的生成,也对美国民族史学知识体系生成所依赖的特殊的学科知识发展背景以及历史和社会生发环境等诸多因素带来了进一步的推动和影响作用。这些影响,既展示在表层的学科和方法层面,促进了民族学人类学、历史学等学科的沟通和方法的互补;也表现在由表及里的知识层面,促动了民族学人类学、历史学等传统研究范式的转换与知识生产能力的提升;还触及了深层的文化概念层面,解构了“白人中心论”“西方中心论”,重构了“他者”的形象,推动了美国历史和社会的生成发展,促进了当代“美利坚”民族国家的不断建构。

American academic circles are the main stage for ethnohistory as a kind of academic phenomenon and social movement. This article tries to show that from its initial use at the beginning of the 20th century into its gestation period in the first half of the 20th century,then subsequently to its growing prominence and prosperity after World War II,American ethnohistory has undergone a century of development. As an independent and integrated knowledge system with exclusive significance,American ethnohistory-deriving from the overlapping section of ethnology( anthropology) and history-apparently has been undergoing continuous construction and formation.On the one hand,we have found that,since the Second World War,the formation of the knowledge system of American ethnohistory not only has been a product of cross-development between American(western) ethnology/anthropology and history;in addition,in some sense it also has become a reflection of the cross-pollination between the research field visions of American(western) ethnology/anthropology and history. Results show this led to the gradual formation of a new research paradigm with the promotion of the production capacity of knowledge. It not only seems to be an important product of cultural reflection and the reconstruction of “The Other” but also a concrete expression of American history and society,displaying-we have discovered-a paradox of “ the deconstruction of White-centrism and a resurgence of White-extremism”. On the other hand, the birth, prominence,and prosperity of the American ethnohistory as well as the construction of the knowledge system of American ethnohistory, have further promoted and influenced many factors, generally speaking,such as the following: First,a special background of the development of subject knowledge and,second,the historical and social environment on which the formation of the knowledge system of American ethnohistory depends. These influences appear to be manifested at the surface level of disciplines and methods, which promote the communication and complementarity of ethnology, anthropology, history,and other disciplines;these are also manifested at a deep level of knowledge, transforming traditional research paradigms of ethnology,anthropology,and history as well improving knowledge production ability. Moreover,this study indicates they also touch deeply on cultural concepts, which seems to deconstruct “ White-centrism ” and“Western centrism”,reconstruct the image of “The Other”,steer the generation and development of American history and society in the direction of the paradox of “The deconstruction of White-centrism and the resurgence of White-extremism”,and boost the continuous construction of a contemporary American nation-state.Research identified that the formation of the knowledge system of American ethnohistory derives from two aspects composed of both cause and effect: the background and environment in which the knowledge system of American ethnohistory constantly develops,as well as the influence on this background and environment from the generating of the knowledge system of American ethnohistory.This paper proposes that a study on the background,environment,and influence of the formation of the knowledge system of American ethnohistory will provide a new way to further understand the formation and development of American ethnohistory,as well as the evolution process and characteristics of western historical anthropology.