试论体育视角在美国历史研究中的价值

The Significance of Sports Perspective in Studying American History

体育在美国历史和社会发展中扮演了十分重要的角色,是影响和凝聚美国社会的一个不可或缺的元素,也是美国文化和价值的重要体现和载体。体育同美国国家建构和美国理念密切相关。自19世纪末以来,美国利用体育同当时的强国英国抗衡和折冲樽俎,并通过体育实现世界的美国化和利用体育作为软实力从事文化外交。体育因素在帮助美国崛起以及改善中美关系方面均发挥了重要作用。体育视野是研究美国历史和社会的一个极好的平台,兼具整体性、代表性和公平性的有效视角,并有跨阶层、跨种族、跨文明等特质。从体育角度研究美国史,不仅大有可为,而且可以从历史角度在无数领域如种族、外交、国际关系、商业、企业、市场和文化交流等方面从事突破性研究,为我们提供令人耳目一新的观点。体育尤其是国际体育本身属于文化和国际史及跨国史范畴。目前从跨国史角度研究历史风靡中国及国际学术界。但如何做到,是一个巨大挑战。从体育角度研究跨国史视野下的美国史,可能是一个非常有益和有用的尝试。

Sports have played an important role in shaping American history and society and served as an important tool and vehicle to knit Americans together and create an American national imagination and national identity. Since the late 19th century, Americans used sports to Americanize the world and promote American values and interests. They also used sports to compete with the Great Britain, to become a superpower, and promote Sino-American relations. Sports provide a great platform and perspective for us to study American history, which are inclusive, representative, and all-penetrating. From the lens of sports, we can better understand historical issues related to American society, race, diplomacy, international relations, cultures, and value systems. The sports perspective will help us undertake groundbreaking historical research and achieve a fresh and new understanding of American history. Sports, especially international sports, thus belong to cross-cultural and transnational domains. Nowadays, it has become fashionable to study history from transnational perspective in China and the world. But it is quite a challenge to practice it. The sports perspective might well provide a useful and effective guidance for us to understand the transnational history of the United States.