“现代化”概念、话语和分析范式的源流溯探

A Historiographical Trace of the Concept,Discourse and Analytical Paradigm of“Modernization”

现代化既是发展战略、理论建设、政策实践、学术研究各领域中的核心概念,也是一个存在多义性的语言符号。在马克思和恩格斯关于历史唯物主义的理论探讨与唯物主义历史的研究实践中,语言/概念与物质/物质行动、意识/思维共同构成一种辩证互动的认识机制。在历史学者对近现代中国历史的研究中,“现代化”以及与之相关联的概念群以话语的形态,对于中国近现代历史行动者之思维意识以及历史叙事之时空秩序,同样存在着语言/概念在历史唯物主义中之“纠缠”作用的机制。我国的历史学研究亟需在坚持历史唯物主义的前提下,从方法论上明确概念的意义对历史秩序之形成及其在此秩序中的流布与延异,警惕由概念引导的融贯性历史叙事,以避免循环论证的茕孑之境和再次陷入“头足倒置”的哲学陷阱。

Modernization is both a core concept in development strategies,theory construction,policy practice and academic research,and a linguistic signifier with multiple meanings.In Marx and Engels’theoretical discussion on historical materialism and materialist conception of history,language or concept,together with matter or material action and consciousness or thought,constitute a dialectical and interactive mechanism of understanding.In the study of modern Chinese history by historical scholars,“modernization”and its associated conceptual clusters,in the form of discourses,also play a role of“entanglement”of language or concept in historical materialism on the consciousness of the actors in modern Chinese history and the temporal order of historical narratives.There is an urgent need for historical research to clarify methodologically,on the basis of historical materialism,the significance of concepts for the formation of historical order and their circulation and differance within this order,and in doing so we need to guard against concept-guided coherent historical narratives,and to avoid the all-encompassing situation of circular argumentation and the philosophical trap of turning everything up side down again.