明清江南研究的期待与检讨

重大的学术变革,多半是由“大问题”引出“大思路”。20世纪70年代末开始的明清江南研究“中兴”发展到今天,年年丰收之余,总感到缺少了天老地荒、披荆斩棘的刺激。当“反欧洲中心主义”破坏了原有的思考逻辑起点之后,钱穆当年说的民族发展“生力”与“病因”就成为了求解明清江南发展与不发展的重大疑难。我们或许需要暂时把许多诱人却消化不良的西方社会科学概念搁置一旁,不计较研究的结果,更看重研究的过程,让真切的实证求是取代名不符实的宏论。例如,明清江南“城市化”概念以及所谓比率的计算,因为勉强附和“现代化理论”,反而有整容与变性之嫌,妨害我们直面当时历史的真实。通贯地考察古代与近代江南变迁的有机联系,发掘与充分运用同一空间、变迁连续的江南近代史料,以作为对勘辨析的重要参证,可能更有利于突破旧思路,增强历史复杂性的认识,并修正原有的判断。总之,以关怀中国发展为指归,明清江南研究上下联动、“通古今之变”,理应成为未来方法论变革的重中之重。

Expectation and Examination of the Studies of Ming and Qing Dynasties on the Lower Reach of Yangtze River Areas

Great academic revolutions are mostly constituted in introducing "grand thinking" by "grand issues". The "revival" of the studies on the lower reach of Yangtze River areas (LRYRA) started from the end of 1970s has developed to now. Among every year's bumper harvest, I feel a lack of stimulation of originating and path finding. When "against Euro-centrism" sabotages the inherited stating point of logic thinking, the "living force" and "sick reason" as Qian Mu said earlier of the national development has become a great question in inquiring a solution for developing or under developing of LRYRA in Ming and Qing Dynasties. Maybe we need, for the time being, to put aside many an attracting but undigested conceptions of the western social sciences, to lay emphasis on the process of research instead of counting the result of studies, and to test the facts instead of talking big.