再论中国社会的乡土性--阅读《乡土中国》的新探索

On the Special Characteristics of Rural Chinese Society--New Explorations in Reading From the Soil:The Foundations of Chinese Society

在我们重新去阅读费孝通半个多世纪以前出版的《乡土中国》一书时,当是以深入认识此书背后作者的写作方式为开始的,借此而成为理解乡土中国自身发展历程的一种独特方式的新发现,并寻求一种在观念中存在的乡土中国来作为社会学、人类学知识探索的独特性路径的梳理。还需要从清楚地析分出《乡土中国》一书的剖面图而去追溯此书背后所隐含着的可能的人类学原理,而这种原理的核心的核心就在于其对乡土本色的发现和解释。与此同时,我们也同样要从一种变化的语境之中去探索乡土中国自身的文化转型的发生,这自然也体现出了日益融入到了世界文明进程中的文化自觉,这种文化自觉意识也正是费孝通一生之中从《乡土中国》一书为开始而一以贯之地试图要去予以揭示的。

When we re-read Fei Xiaotong's book From the Soil:The Foundations of Chinese Society,which was published more than half a century ago,we should start with an in-depth understanding of the author's way of writing,so as to make a new exploration to understand the history of the development of rural China,and to sort out an unique paths to explore the knowledge of sociology and anthropology of rural China in concept.It is also necessary to trace the possible anthropological principles behind rural China from a clear analysis of the book's profile,the core of which lies in its discovery and interpretation of the special characteristics of rural society.At the same time,we also need to explore the cultural transformation of rural China itself in a changing context,which naturally reflects the cultural consciousness of being increasingly integrated into the process of world civilization,a cultural consciousness that Fei Xiaotong has consistently attempted to reveal throughout his life,starting with the book From the Soil:The Foundations of Chinese Society.