关系地理学的知识谱系、研究范式与启示

heoretical genealogy, research paradigm and implication of Relational Geography

梳理关系地理学的学术内涵、理论主张、研究范式以及热点议题,指出关系地理学研究体现以行动主体为中心,既注重国际流动、连通性、社会关系的分析,也注重个体经验、认知与能动性方面的发掘;既关注全球化对地方社会、经济、制度的广泛影响,又考察发生的在地化、文化再造、差异生产等现象,有明显的去地域和去尺度化的趋势;对区域政策或社会事件的解读,多基于行动者网络和去人类中心主义视角,注重情景、互动、阐释与偶然性的分析,而不仅仅是总结模式或规律。关系地理学显示,当下已不是某一单一理论或主要思想所能解释的时代,它以一种去中心、异质化、动态化、多维度的特征体现了地理学思想的多元、包容与深刻。作为一种新的研究思潮与范式,关系地理学在解释中国经验时需要有效地落地和对接,而中国的传统“关系”概念、“一带一路”倡议、“人类命运共同体”理念是其可落地的最佳案例。

Since the mid-1990s,Human Geography research has witnessed a significant turn towards a relational approach,giving rise to Relational Geography as an influential and cutting-edge disciplinary perspective that challenges traditional geographical paradigms.This paper aims to explore the academic connotations,theoretical propositions,research paradigms,and current hot topics within Relational Geography.It argues that the core focus of Relational Geography is on the subject of action,emphasizing not only the analysis of international mobility,connectivity,and social relations but also the exploration of individual experiences,cognition,and agency.This approach encompasses not only the extensive impacts of globalization on local societies,economies,and institutions but also the examination of localization,cultural reconstruction,and differential production,revealing clear tendencies towards de-territorialization and de-scaling.Rather than merely summarizing patterns or laws,the interpretation of regional policies or social events within Relational Geography is predominantly based on actor networks and adopts a de-anthropocentric perspective,focusing on the analysis of situations,interactions,interpretations,and contingencies.Relational Geography highlights that the complexity of the present era cannot be adequately explained by a single theory or dominant ideology.Through a decentralized,heterogeneous,dynamic,and multi-dimensional approach,it embodies the diversity,inclusiveness,and profound nature of geographical thinking.This shift towards relational thinking represents a critique of long-standing Western academic hegemony associated with substantialism(the belief in discovering objective social facts),positivism(the search for objective laws of human society),dualism,and other prevailing trends.By surpassing the limitations of human and physical geography and reflecting on essentialist and structuralist static analyses,Relational Geography incorporates events and realities into the perspectives of political economy,power relations,gender identity,spatial justice,and social inequality.Its epistemological shift towards more open,fluid,and complex spatial relational thinking significantly reshapes people's understanding of key geographic concepts such as space,place,and scale.As a new research trend and paradigm,Relational Geography needs to effectively incorporate and apply its principles when examining Chinese experiences.China's traditional concept of"connection,"the"Belt and Road Initiative",and the idea of"a community with a shared future for mankind"serve as prime examples of how Relational Geography can be applied and connected in practice.