印度的区域研究:殖民遗产及其新变

Area Studies in India:Colonial Heritage and New Changes

印度的区域研究在殖民时期初具雏形,1947—1962年间,在尼赫鲁大力推动下有了较大发展,之后,印度的区域研究得以系统发展。印度区域研究所包含的区域意识、学科传统和研究条件深深根植于其漫长的殖民经历,但又有其独特的超越和新变。首先,区域意识历经外部形塑后出现内在回归。殖民时期的区域意识强调了被殖民者的一致性,挑战了本土的传统区域观念,巩固了英国作为殖民霸主的地位,并潜移默化地影响了印度本土精英的知识生产,但独立后区域意识中逐步强化的去殖民指向和传统指向挑战了上述殖民影响。其次,学科传统延续殖民特征但也有新突破。印度的区域知识源自于东方学话语,过去偏重文学历史议题,关注大国及发达地区,而独立后学科本土化的呼声日益增高,政治学视角逐步占据主导,对亚洲及周边区域的关注度增高。再次,研究条件拥有先天优势但也面临现实掣肘。殖民者奠定的教育基础使得印度的区域研究起步较早,机构分布深烙殖民印记,但独立后的财政状况、官僚因素和教育质量却没能为区域研究提供持续的发展驱动。

Area studies in India,which took shape during the colonial period and achieved growth in the early years of independence(1947-1962),has developed systematically since then.The inherent“area”consciousness,disciplinary traditions,and research conditions are deeply rooted in India's long colonial experience,but with unique transcendence and new transformations.First,there was an internal awakening of“area”consciousness.The“area”consciousness shaped during the colonial period emphasized unity of the colonized,supressed the indigenous conception of area,consolidated the British position as the colonial hegemon,and implicitly influenced knowledge production among India's indigenous elites.But the decolonial and indigenous orientation that intensified after independence challenged these processes.Second,while the discipline has continued its tradition and some characteristics from the colonial period,it has also made new breakthroughs.India's knowledge of“area”studies originated from the discourse of Orientalism,which favoured literaryhistorical issues and focused on the great powers and developed regions.After independence,however,there was a growing call for the localization of the discipline,with political science perspectives gradually becoming more dominant and with increased scholarly attention on Asia and India's neighbouring regions.Finally,research conditions have inherent advantages but also face real constraints.While the educational foundations laid by the colonizers led to an early start of area studies in India,they left a strong colonial imprint on the distribution of institutions.Yet,during the post-independence period,India has struggled to provide a sustained impetus for area studies due to financial difficu+++lties,bureaucratic inefficiency,and the uneven quality of education.