论中国之行对杜威多元文化观念及民主思想的影响

How China Shaped Dewey's Ideas of Cultural Diversity and Democracy

1919年至1921年,美国实用主义教育大师约翰·杜威,应其中国弟子之邀,对当时正被五四新文化运动洗礼的中国,进行了为期约两年三个月的访问。杜威访华,并非仅仅是中国学界和教育界一边倒地去主动接受西洋文明,相反这一文化盛事是在双向交流(two-way communication)的路径下完成的。关于杜威是如何影响民国教育,学界已多有论著。值得注意的是,在访华之后,杜威本人的思想观念也因其中国之行而发生了微妙的转变。相较于前者,此一议题相当长的时间内乏人问津。在此文中,笔者主要依据杜威的相关著作以及其他学者研究杜威的论述,力图解析杜威的中国之行是如何塑造(shape)他对文化多元性(cultural diversity)与民主政治的观点和态度。

From 1919 to 1921, at the invitation of a group of Chinese scholars, John Dewey intensively traveled and lectured in China. During his two-year trip, Dewey contributed over 200 lectures on the diversity of topics in China. Since he left for the U.S, his speeches were translated and published by his Chinese devotees as the book titled Five Major Lectures from John Dewey. During the Republican period in Chinese history, in particular throughout the 1920 s and the 1930 s, Dewey’s educational philosophy had a tremendous influence on Chinese education. It is important to note that educational encounter between China and John Dewey is an evolving process of two-way cultural communication. When Chinese educational reformers embraced Dewey’s legacy wholeheartedly, in return Dewey’s perception of cultural diversity and democracy had been shaped by his understanding of the May Fourth Movement.