历史宗教地理学刍议

A Tentative Discussion on Histo-religious Geography

宗教与地理形成的特殊的人地关系,使我们有必要创建历史宗教地理学。历史宗教地理学是研究历史时期宗教形成、传播和发展的区域特征及其分布变迁规律的一门学科,是历史文化地理学的分支学科。历史宗教地理学包括历史宗教地理学理论、部门历史宗教地理和区域综合历史宗教地理三大部分,研究的主要内容有历史时期宗教源地的形成、宗教传播的途径、宗教景观的分布、宗教的区域特征以及历史时期地理环境与宗教发展的相互关系等。在研究方法上,除了运用历史学和地理学的研究方法外,历史宗教地理研究还要积极借鉴民族学、文化学、考古学等学科的研究成果和研究方法。

The special relationship between man and land caused by religion and geography makes it necessary to establish the science of histo-religious geography. A branch of histo-humanistic geography, histo-religious geography is a science that studies the regional characteristics and laws of migration and distribution with regard to formation, spread and development of religion in history. The science subdivides into three branches:theory of histo-religious geography, institutional histo-religious geography and comprehensive regional histo-religous geography. Its study involves the formation of religious origin in history, means of religion spread, distribition of religious centers, regional characteristics, and reciprocal relationship between geographical environment and religional development. In addition to historical and geographical approaches, histo-religious geography will have to utilize results and approaches of ethnics, culture and archeology.