“亚细亚生产方式”与西方思考“东方”的方法论传统

Asiatic Mode of Production and China􀆳s Road(Conversations by Writing)

“亚细亚生产方式”是马克思分析包括中国在内的东方文明政治经济形态的核心概念,其学术和政治重要性是不言而喻的。不少史学家已就“亚细亚生产方式”这个概念的起源和发展进行了深入研究,这里不再重述。我早年专注于政治学,对这个概念没有太多关注,只知道其在西方和中国学术界所产生的长久意义。后来在英美求学时,觉得我们自近代以来所学的这套社会科学知识体系是西方的理论。西方的知识体系是西方社会科学家研究西方的问题和根据西方实践经验总结出来的,西方问题、西方命题和西方答案构成了西方学者学术或者政策研究的主线。我一直在思考,“亚细亚生产方式”的概念是马克思研究东方社会(包括中国和印度)时提出的,为什么马克思能够提出“亚细亚生产方式”这个概念?为什么他要提出这个命题?其背后的驱动力是学术的还是政治的,或者两者皆有?

Editorial Note:The academic debates caused by Marx􀆳s concept of“Asiatic Mode of Production”is one of the longest,largest discussions that involved many disciplines in Chinese humanities over the past century.The discussions resulted in many achievements,and leaved many unsolved problems.Journal of Literature,History,and Philosophy once acted as an important platform for the discussions in the 1950s and 1980s.Now in the new era,new discussions might be needed on the so-called“Asiatic Mode of Production”as well as its relation with Chinese civilization and China􀆳s road.On May 7 and 8,2022,the editorial office held a forum on the theme of“Asiatic Mode of Production and China􀆳s Road”,and this group of conversations by writing are part of the results.