新时期中国社会史理论争鸣及其演进(上)

Theoretical Arguments and Progress of China's History of Society in the New Period

改革开放以来,新的社会史学兴起。新社会史的理论研究大致经历了两个阶段:20世纪80年代中期至1996年为第一阶段,1997年至今为第二阶段。关于什么是社会史,主要有专史说、通史说、视角说三种看法,近来不断出现整合这些说法并加以创新的论述,不妨称之为"社会史新说"。社会史应该借鉴各种社会科学的理论和方法基本上是社会史研究者的共识,讨论比较多的则是社会史与马克思主义、社会学、思想文化史、人类学、地理学、区域史的关系。就二十多年来中国社会史理论探讨的演进看,对社会史的学术定位有一个从比较考虑研究对象到兼顾研究视角再到"问题"的过程,它始终同反省历史学有关。

The theoretical studies on the history of society have experienced two stages since the reform and opening to the outside world, namely, the states from 1980s to 1996 and from 1997 to date. It is generally agreed that history of society should draw upon theories and ways of other social sciences. Its orientation has something to do with self-questioning history all the time, that is, from objects and perspectives of study to questions at last.