如何在国际学术平台讲好中国故事?———“关系社会学”研究经历的联想和启示

How can China's Story be Effectively Conveyed on the International Academic Platform?—Lessons from the Sociology of Guanxi Research

伴随着现代化进程,中国取得了举世瞩目的经济奇迹,引发了国际社会的高度关注。值此之际,在国际学术平台讲好中国故事,进而推动学科进步、增进知识积累、提升国家影响力,成为中国知识分子的时代重任。构建理论关联性是在国际学术平台讲好中国故事的根本逻辑。如何构建理论关联性?其一,需要实现本土知识的国际概念化,形成跨国理论知识。只有通过国际概念化将本土知识变为一般性的理论知识,才具有跨结构、跨文化的国际意义。这是在国际学术平台讲好中国故事的先决条件。其二,需要定位理论知识在相关理论体系中的位置,确立理论关联性。只有基于故事文本揭示的新的理论逻辑与已有理论发生了本质上的关联性,并定位新理论在相关理论体系中的位置,故事和理论才会被人理解、接受、认可、牢记。《论社会学本土知识的国际概念化》对前者进行了分析,该文在此基础上对后者开展论述,是为姊妹篇。国际期刊是在国际学术平台讲好中国故事的主战场,包括学科专业性国际期刊、国别区域性国际期刊、专业和区域综合性国际期刊。以“关系社会学”的三个研究经历为分析范例,论文对在三种不同类型期刊如何讲好中国故事,尤其是讲好中国故事的理论关联性作了进一步探讨。故事一,通过突出中西方不同情境,就关系强度理论构建了场域拓宽关联,在学科专业性国际期刊讲好了“通过强关系网络找工作”的中国故事。故事二,通过展示利用关系网络求职比例随时间变化的过程,就关系作用理论构建了机制重塑关联,在国别区域性国际期刊讲好了“关系重要性上升”的中国故事。故事三,通过聚焦“辜―杨之争”衍生出的新问题,就关系作用理论构建了视角变化关联,在专业和区域综合性国际期刊讲好了“私营企业核心关系圈超稳”的中国故事。由此,理论关联性进一步分解为场域拓宽关联、机制重塑关联、视角变换关联三种类型,这也是讲好中国故事的三种策略。

Along with the process of modernization,China has achieved a world-renowned economic miracle,thus attracting a high degree of international attention.In this historical moment,Chinese intellectuals have the responsibility and obligation to make sense about China's local knowledge and effectively tell China's story on the international academic platform.This effort will advance academic disciplines,enhance knowledge accumulation,and elevate China's international influence.The authors of this paper argue that establishing theoretical relevance forms the fundamental basis for effectively narrating China's story on the international academic platform.How to establish theoretical relevance?First and foremost,it is crucial to comprehend the international conceptualization of indigenous knowledge and develop cross-national theoretical frameworks.Transforming indigenous knowledge into universally-relevant theoretical concepts through international conceptualization is essential for its global significance across various structures and cultures.This is a prerequisite for telling China's story on the international academic platform.Secondly,it is essential to position new theoretical knowledge in the relevant theoretical framework within which to establish its relevance.Only when such relevance to the existing theory is established will the theoretical logic of China's story be understood,accepted,recognized,and remembered.The first thesis was presented in a previous publication On the International Codification of China's Local Knowledge,and the second thesis will be discussed in the present paper,a sister article of the previous publication.International journals are the primary venue for presenting China's story on the international academic platform.These journals include academic disciplines'flagship journals,area studies journals,and interdisciplinary journals focusing on specific regions.This paper utilizes three sociology of guanxi research papers as analytical examples to explore how to effectively tell China's story on the above-mentioned three types of journals.The first example is about telling China's story in a sociological flagship journal by broadening the social space and institutional context of human society within which to establish China's theoretical relevance to a social network explanation of occupational opportunity.In the second narrative,the mechanisms of job-seeking through guanxi networks were demonstrated,reshaping the theoretical framework of relational effects.This narrative was conveyed in a leading country-specific international journal,telling the China story of“rising importance of social relationships”.Finally,the third narrative focuses on the new issues arising from the“Guthrie-Yang debate”,shifting research domains from external labor markets to governance structure inside enterprises.This was presented in an interdisciplinary international journal,narrating the China story of“super-stability in the core guanxi circles of private enterprises”as governance structure.Thus,theoretical relevance was further categorized into three types:the contextual expansion of relevance,the mechanism reshaping of relevance,and the research domain shift of relevance.These represent the three strategies for effectively narrating China's story.