历史人物研究的新路径——解读埃里克·方纳《烈火中的考验——亚伯拉罕·林肯与美国奴隶制》

A New Approach to the Study of Historical Figures:Review on The Fiery Trial:Abraham Lincoln and American Slavery

囿于其各自的立场,不管是在美国史学界还是在中国史学界,学者们都对林肯究竟是"伟大的解放者"还是"中间派"进行过激烈的争议。在新社会史主导下的史学潮流中,从普罗大众的视角出发的研究改变了以往林肯研究的刻板和枯燥,而其立足点却往往付诸"今日多数人的道德法庭"。在适当借鉴新社会史研究方法的同时,埃里克·方纳的《烈火中的考验——亚伯拉罕·林肯与美国奴隶制》一书指出了一个基本事实,即林肯是一个杰出的政治家。作者从林肯的政治使命进行分析,肯定了林肯在废除奴隶制过程中不可替代的历史贡献;并且认为,站在今人的立场上对林肯作静态的解读是不可取的,因为这种做法忽略了政治的基本属性和政治史研究的基本任务。

Although constrained by their own ideological fields,scholars in Chinese and American historical circles have both conducted fierce disputes over whether Lincoln was a'great liberator'or a'centrist'.In the historical trend dominated by the new social history,study from the view of the general public has changed the rigidity and monotonicity of the previous study on Lincoln,and its foothold is often put into practice in the moral court of the majority of today’s people.Appropriating reference study of the new social history,Eric Foner’s book The Fiery Trial points out a basic fact:Lincoln was an outstanding politician.Analysis of Lincoln’s political mission reaffirmed his irreplaceable historical contribution to the abolition of slavery.The book argues that a static interpretation of Lincoln from the standpoint of the present is not desirable.This approach ignores the basic attributes of politics and the basic task of studying political history.