美国牛仔文化的跨国特质、起源论争及神话传播

Transnational Characteristics,Origin Debate and Mythical Spread of American Cowboy Culture

牛仔文化有广义、狭义之分。广义的牛仔文化涵盖产生牛仔的牧牛方式、环境、牛马放牧工具(或装备)、技术、服饰等。狭义的牛仔文化指因牛仔而产生的精神文化作品,包括牛仔歌曲、诗歌、小说、绘画、戏剧和影视作品等。广义上的美国牛仔文化在北美的起源和发展与西班牙牧牛方式的扩展尤其是西部牧牛业兴起密切相关。在美国学术界,长期存在关于美国牛仔文化起源的论争。狭义上的美国牛仔文化的兴起与传播把美国牛仔偶像化和神话化,使历史上拓荒的真实牛仔完全失真。牛仔文化在北美的起源、发展和传播是美国文化衍生和发展的典型形式之一,展现了美国社会的多元文化主义特质。牛仔文化起源的论争反映了美国文化身份构建的复杂性。美国牛仔文化的传播体现了美国意图实现文化霸权的主要策略,对美国乃至全球文化和文明产生了持久而深远影响。

Cowboy culture can be divided into broad and narrow senses.The broad definition of cowboy culture includes the cattle ranching methods,environment,tools(or equipment),techniques,clothes,and so on.Cowboy culture in the narrow sense refers to the spiritual and cultural works related to cowboys,including cowboy songs,poems,novels,paintings,dramas and film and television works.The spread of cowboy culture in North America is closely related to the expansion of Spanish cattle ranching methods,especially the rise of western cattle ranching.In the American academic circle,there has long been a debate about the origin of American cowboy culture.The rise and spread of American cowboy culture idolized and mythologized American cowboys,which completely distorted the real cowboys in history.The spread of cowboy culture in North America is a typical form of American cultural derivation and development,and the main strategy of the United States to achieve cultural hegemony,which has a lasting and farreaching impact on American and even global culture and civilization.