古文书学与中国历史研究

Diplomatics and Chinese Historical Research

古文书是事件发生同步的历史记录,是历史研究的基础史料。近代以来的中国史学,虽然包括简牍文书、敦煌吐鲁番文书、明清档案、徽州文书等古文书研究一直存在,却分属于档案学、历史文献学等不同的学科,一直缺乏一个将公私文书统一起来研究的“古文书学”学科。事实上,无论是公文书,还是私人契约;无论是出土文书,还是传世文书;无论是简牍文书,还是纸质文书,它们都是当时治理国家与调整社会关系的原始文件,它们的“文书”性质决定了其与一般的编纂史料处于不同的层面。因此,非常有必要将公文书与私文书从历史文献学与档案学中分离出来,建立起独立的“古文书学”,才能够充分发掘出“文书”作为第一手资料的价值。

Paleographic documents are historical records produced contemporaneously with historical events;they are fundamental materials for historical research.Although Chinese historiography in the modern period has included paleographic research,such as analysis of bamboo and wooden slips,documents of Dunhuang and Turpan,Ming and Qing period archives,and the Huizhou documents,they have belonged to diverse fields of study such as archival science and historical philology.We have long lacked“Diplomatics”,that is,an integrated field of study that examines official and private documents in conjunction.In reality,whether it is official documents or private contracts,documents excavated from the earth or documents passed on through the generations,bamboo and wooden slips or paper documents,all are primary documents related to the governing of the nation and regulation of social relations.Their nature as primary“documents”means they constitute a different kind of source than historical materials that have been compiled by later editors and scholars.As a consequence,it is critically important that official documents and private documents are separated out from historical philology and archival studies and established into an independent field of“Diplomatics”.Only in that way will it be possible to realize the full potential of“documents”as primary sources.