论西方微观史学对宏观叙事的构建

On the Construction of Macro-narratives in Western Microhistory

微观史学通常被认为与宏观史学相对立并因此被视作“碎片化”的代名词。然而,实际情况并非如此简单。事实上,微观史学家在专注于历史细节的同时,也在积极地构建宏观的历史叙事。他们提出了“正常的例外”和“可变的尺度”两个概念作为其宏观叙事的理论根据,并通过个体与社会的关联性、象征性隐喻、追随、深描、比较等方式在研究实践中建立起微观史与宏观史乃至全球史之间的联系。而他们之所以如此,归根结底与其所处的多元主义学术语境有着密不可分的联系。微观史学与宏观史学特别是与全球史学相融的事实,对于我们走出“碎片化”的历史,以及确立一种辩证多元的历史认知模式具有启发意义。

Microhistory is often considered to be the opposite of macrohistory and therefore regarded as synonymous with the"fragmentation"of historical research.However,this is not the case.In fact,micro historians are active in constructing macro historical narratives while focusing on historical details.They have proposed the concepts of"normal exception"and"variable scale"as the theoretical basis of their macro-narratives.In practice,they have established the conncctions between micro-level,macro-level,and even global-level in history through identifying individual-society correlation,using symbolic metaphors,tracing changes,and offering thick description and comparison,to name some examples.Their effort to connect microhistorical research and macrohistorical narrative is closely related to the pluralist academic context in which they lived.The entangled relationship between microhistory and macrohistory,especially within the framework of global history,is instructive for us to step out of"fragmented"history and to establish a dialectical and pluralistic historical cognitive model.