说历史编纂学:一个中西史学文化比较的立场

On “Lishi Bianzuanxue”: From a Perspective of the Sino-Western Comparison

言及'历史编纂学',人们总会联想到与之对应的英文'historiography'。一般也是如此对应翻译。但这种以主要意谓'史学'或'史学史'的'historiography',去界定和理解中国语境下历史'编纂'之学存在很大问题。语义分析表明,中文'编纂'所指的是单纯的文本编织组织,而没有'historiography'的意指。中文所谓'编纂',是对国家职掌管理、整理档案文献职能的史官组织历史文本行为的描述。这种'编纂'的性质,决定了中国传统史学文本的以连缀组织已有文献为主的生产方式,而史官的官僚性,也决定了文本组织的立场和视角的国家性,决定了反映内容的社会性和整体性,决定了其对于政治实体的治乱兴衰,以及为容纳多重内容而追求的文本组织形式的多样性。与此不同的西方史学,由于相当长的时期属于个人行为,没有被纳入到国家的职能之中,所专注的焦点多局限于个人或亲历或传闻的诸如战争等重大事件,关注的是人性的善与恶,导致在组织文本时,不太考虑社会各因素之间的关联性和整体性,更注意表现事件的线性过程和事件的情节。因而,在西方史学中,与历史(history)一起组合使用来表示文本历史的,一般采用narrative或writing,如history narrative,或history writing等。'编纂'一词的分析,或可以在一定意义上揭示中西史学文化上所存在的差异。

'Lishi Bianzuanxue'(历史编纂学)was usually associated with and translated into'historiography'in English,however,'historiography'is mainly be interpreted as'history'or'history of history'in the West,so this translation is inaccurate.In Chinese,'bianzuan'(编纂)refers to compiling text instead of the mean of'historiography',and it refers to the compiling historical books of which were in the charge official historians who managed and set out national archives.The nature of'bianzuan'determines that traditional Chinese historical books came from existing literature archives.Meanwhile,the fact that historians were officers also makes books reflect the view of bureaucracy,its social and integral characteristics of the content,as well as the diversity of textual forms with multiple content.The Western historical writings were personal works instead of official ones,and their focuses are personal experiences,human nature or major events,such as war.These features make Western historians don’t pay much attention to the relation and integrity of social factors,but to the linear process and the plots of events.Therefore,Western historians usually apply phrases consisting of'narrative/writing'and'history'to represent the historical writing,such as'history narrative'or'history writing'.An analysis of the Chinese term'bianzuan'could partly reveal the differences between Chinese and Western historical culture.