本土知识的全球意义——论地区研究与21世纪中国社会科学的追求

社会科学的知识和理论在一定程度上都是本土的,或曰首先是本土的,但本土知识可以具有全球的意义。地区研究反映了本土知识的获得方式,是一条有效的路径。地区研究与社会科学的结合之道,就是从本土出发,而不是从本本(或规律、定律)出发;从实际生活出发,而不是从抽象的理性人假定出发。通过跨越二者间的鸿沟,更紧密和有效地把地区研究与社会科学结合起来,人们有望发展出基于中国本土经验而同时具有较普遍意义的知识和理论。但这一具某种普遍意义的认识,也仍是有限制条件的,对此应保持清醒。地区研究的认识方式,体现了这样一种认识论。基于对多个特定地区和国家的研究,有可能提出由西方经验而得出的理论的"例外"。而恰恰是这些"例外"提供了修正和发展现有理论或建立新的理论的可能。

The Global Meaning of Local Knowledge:On Area Studies and the Pursuit of Chinese Social Sciences in the 21~(st) Century

All social science knowledge and theories are,to a large extent,local,or put another way,first and foremost local.However,local knowledge can have global meanings.Area studies point to a way that local knowledge is obtained and are thus an effective approach to the pursuit of knowledge.As a constructive way to combine social science research and area studies well,people need to depart from local reality rather than from bookishness or laws,and from real life rather from abstract rational choice assumptions.The way area studies attempt to gain knowledge epitomizes such an epistemology.Basing him or her own research on studying a particular country or region,it is possible for one to find "exceptions" to theories drawn from Western experience.It is exactly these "exceptions" that provide researchers with the possibilities to revise and further develop existing theories or to invent new ones.