比较与借鉴:重释中西民族国家构建理论

Comparison and Enlightenment: A Reinterpretation of the Chinese andWestern Theories of the Construction of the Nation-state

西方民族理论体系的形成早于且成熟于中国,中国在民族国家理论构建中,借鉴并吸收了西方相关民族理论。西方民族理论主要有两大体系:一种是崇尚个人意志的自由主义派提倡的政治民主主义,追求“民族”与“国家”合一的最高政治目标,即国家共同体民族,实现单一民族国家形态,自由成为共识;另一种是以文化血缘为纽带,以族群集体为核心的文化民族主义,即民族共同体民族,实现多民族国家形态,文化属性成为共识。因中西方社会演进历程以及国家构建路径不同,民族理论在不同社会发展阶段所给出的解释也不尽相同。盲目尊崇极端民族主义,为多民族国家的国家建构与国家认同带来阻力,甚至造成民族分裂,引起政治动荡。正确认识民族与国家之间的关系,能够为进一步处理民族认同与国家认同之间的矛盾提供理论依据;对比分析中西方民族理论逻辑,能够阐释中国民族国家建构的特殊性与内在合理性。

The formation of the Western ethnic theories was earlier in maturity than that in China.In the construction of its nation-state theory,China has borrowed and absorbed relevant Western ethnic theories.Western ethnic theories fall into two main groups:one is political democracy advocated by liberals who worship the will of the individual,pursue the highest political goal of the unity of“nation”and“state”,that is,the nation of a country-specific community and the realization of a single nation-state,and freedom has become a common consensus.The other is cultural nationalism with cultural kinship as the link and ethnic clusters as the core,that is,the nation of a community composed of ethnic groups which has realized the form of a multi-ethnic state,and cultural attributes have become a common consensus.Due to the different evolutionary processes of Chinese and Western societies and the different processes of the state construction,such ethnic theories have different explanations at different stages of social development.Blindly worshipping extreme nationalism has resulted in resistance to the national construction and national identity of multi-ethnic countries,and even caused ethnic divisions and political turmoil.A correct understanding of the relationship between“nation”and“country”provides a theoretical basis for further handling the contradictions between the ethnic identity and the national identity.Contrasting and analyzing the logics of Chinese and Western ethnic theories will help interpret the particularity and internal rationality of the construction of China as a nation-state.