论年鉴学派的历史主义

The Historiography of the Annales School

源于法国并活跃于20世纪中叶的年鉴学派在历史主义问题上做出了巨大贡献。主要表现在以下几个方面:历史是人类的活动,其特征是进步,表现在文明的连续性与多样性上,而其动力则是抉择,即"回应",亦即对来自于地理、经济、社会与精神等不同方面"挑战"的反击;历史学的研究对象是人类及其所构成的社会,其任务揭示历史发展的规则、构建客观性的历史事实,其性质为科学,其功用在于思想与精神的审美、理解现实及其缘由、构建人文学科知识,提供社会学研究的独特方法;历史认识的基石是时段,包括"短时段"即"事件史""中时段"即"社会史"与"长时段"即地理环境史,其认识方式则是基于社会学上的总体史学,或者说是整体史学,它要求用分门别类、条举件系的形式描述人类社会的发展,而其方法则是问题史学,即历史学家抱着"求知释疑"的动机,针对现实生活中所涌现的人类社会各方面出现的问题,"历史学从事物发展的角度予以阐述解释","从历史中寻求答案"。

The Annales School,a new approach to the study of history emerged in France in the late 1920 s,grew to be the preeminent twentieth-century movement in historical scholarship. Its unique perspective of a 'total history'embracing all the social sciences has captivated historians worldwide. Numerous Annales historians,stressing long-term social history in their academic studies,have gained international reputations due to their huge influences in the study and teaching of history and historiography. In the eyes of the Annales historians,history is a human activity,which is reflected in the progress of humanity,the continuity and diversity of human civilization,and the sagacity involved in making choices,namely,responding to geographical,economic,social and spiritual aspects of'challenge'. Essentially,the Annales historians bear in mind the'bigger picture',rather than focusing on a single individual or group of individuals and how they affected a certain events. The Annales historians take a wider form from viewing a wide range of sources by establishing a 'total history'—a wider and more human history and a history that combines the analysis and clarification of science,and history which is traditionally involved with narration and description. Annalist thought goes beyond politics with a wider consideration of the history of society,while at the same time focusing on culture,traditions,geography,beliefs,ideas,mass psychology,cultural and religious practices.