作为方法论的区域史研究

The Regional History Approach as Methodology

区域史研究自20世纪80年代以来在我国迅速展开,其相关理论问题引起了学界的注意。区域史研究应当具备方法论的意义。区域首先是需要被检讨的对象,研究者应当将区域视为历史演变的结果,思考其由来的问题。在方法论的意义上,区域史应与社会史、整体史实现统一,充分注意中国历史发展的多样性。通过展现各个区域的历史发展逻辑,区域史研究的最终目标是揭示中国历史发展的规律。这要求研究者同时关注不同区域之间、区域与国家之间的关系。

Since the 1980 s,regional history studies have developed steadily in China's Mainland,and more and more researchers have been drawn to theoretical issues concerned.The regional history approach contains significance of methodology,especially as manifested in its grasping the exact meaning of a″region,″requesting a close relevance to social history,and revealing certain historical rules in imperial China,and so forth.First,the regional history approach asks researchers to not only delineate the region in terms of scientificity and normality but also treat the region as results of historical evolution,and then think about the region's formation and changes.Second,as far as methodology is concerned,the regional history approach should be applied with approaches of social history and integral history.One contribution of the regional history approach is its focuses on geographical space,whereas its down-top perspective implies more importance in methodology.This integral perspective stresses history as a whole,quite different from the grand narratives of the national-history vision.On the one hand,the regional history approach emphasizes integral consideration of various factors that affect the course of history.On the other hand,its goal sharply differs from nature-seeking orientated studies.Finally,the ultimate objective of the regional history approach is to reveal rules of historical development in imperial China by presenting logics of historical developments of all regions.It asks researchers to pay close attention to the relationship between different regions as well as the region and the empire.On the one hand,researchers should examine the relationship between one region and other regions,especially the adjoining areas,the important regions(e.g.the capital)and even the regions beyond the empire.On the other hand,researchers should deal with the relationship between the region and the empire.Researchers should not be satisfied with simply discussing the local region.Based on an entire understanding of the regional historical development,they further need to look into the variety and changeability shadowed by the grand discourse of a″unified″China.