Hayden White (and the Content and the Form and Everyone Else) at the AHA

The special session at the January 1997 annual meeting of the American Historical Association honoring the achievement of Hayden White and examining the impact and influence of his work on the historical discipline was an enlightening experience, at least to this participant, in many more ways than had been planned or promised. The session itself, albeit fairly routine by the standard of such occasions, seemed to take on a meta-narrative of its own as each of the speakers (not excluding the honoree who was present and participating) confidently spoke at length, proceeding from deep premises which bore no relation to any of the others. My own initial anticipation that this event would produce limited variations on a coherent theme—the impact of the linguistic turn and of narrative theory in particular on the practice and self-definition of academic history—turned gradually to rather disconcerted bemusement, especially when my turn came to listen to myself.
My previous engagement to report on the AHA session in a paper for the Center for the Humanities at Wesleyan University became an opportunity to confide some of my freshest reactions to the event in a fairly small and very select audience. Narrating the ephemeral metanarrative I perceived as spinning itself out over the blunter facts of the AHA occasion, turned out to be the inner topic of my Wesleyan paper (this present essay), not excluding the mysterious impulses of the audience and the existential atmosphere of the never to be forgotten Princess Ballroom.     

朝野纠葛:北京政府时期的舆论与外交--以关税特别会议为个案的考察

关于北京政府时期的外交,尽管学术界近来已开始有了较为客观的评价,不过对于其背后因素的考察还有待深入。实际上,在北京政府时期,由于特殊的时代背景,各种社会舆论被全面动员起来,以汹涌澎湃之势冲击着外交这一特殊的政治领域,从而形成了近代史上国民外交的黄金时期。于是,由于中央政府统治的虚弱,在其决策者进行外交运作时,就处处受到来自舆论界的影响,这是一个极为明显的历史特色,通过对当时舆论的考察,就会更深层次地探究北京政府外交的两难境地。笔者在考察时,主要以关税特别会议为个案,以上海舆论为核心,以《申报》、《东方杂志》等报刊为第一手资料。     

The Association of the Lady and the Unicorn,and the Hunting Mythology of the Caucasus

Written evidence from the hunting folk literature of the Caucasus is presented together with the suggestion that the origin of the unicorn lies in hunting mythology and that remnants of it are to be seen in the figures in "The Lady and the Unicorn" tapestries in France.     

《竹书纪年》与晋唐间的史学

西晋初年出土的《竹书纪年》不但补充了传世文献的记载,更因其内容与儒家经典在叙述与认识上的差异,激发了人们对史学自身的反思。晋唐之际的学者利用《纪年》核准文献、考证史实,同时也引起了关于经史关系、史体史例、疑古证经等一系列问题的探究,从而对晋唐间史学的发展带来了深刻的影响。     

“八风” 与五行、八卦

五行与八方意义之八风及八卦的结合当始于西汉;八风在节气意义上与八卦发生关系不会早于秦汉之间;其于卦气相联系乃西汉之事。故以为《说卦传》之八卦方位说已包含了五行是不合实际的,笼统地讲八风说与八卦方位说相表里是缺乏时间概念的,而将先秦文献中关于八风的说法视同卦气也是无根据的。     

Charles the bold and the crusade: politics and propaganda

The pressures on Charles the Bold (duke of Burgundy from 1467 to his death in 1477) to lead, or lend his support to, a crusade were many. His Italian allies and the papacy all pleaded for his help and participation; and these appeals were augmented by the exhortation contained in much of the literature popular at the Burgundian court and by the presence there of refugees from the East.Charles's response was mixed. Political and moral pressures made it impossible for him to ignore the question of the crusade, but, even if his attitude should be characterized as cautious rather than as indifferent, he never did go on crusade. Equally, however, he repeatedly justified his comparative inaction and, at the same time, made propaganda against his enemies by suggesting that their hostility alone prevented him from embarking on an expedition to drive back the infidel.This response, since it was not untypical of the princes of his generation, helps explain the West's failure to unite against the Turks. From the point of view of Burgundian history, Charles's cautious attitude towards the crusade tends to support the revisionists who argue that he was far less ‘rash’ than the traditional historical view allows.     

Charles the bold and the crusade: politics and propaganda

The pressures on Charles the Bold (duke of Burgundy from 1467 to his death in 1477) to lead, or lend his support to, a crusade were many. His Italian allies and the papacy all pleaded for his help and participation; and these appeals were augmented by the exhortation contained in much of the literature popular at the Burgundian court and by the presence there of refugees from the East.Charles's response was mixed. Political and moral pressures made it impossible for him to ignore the question of the crusade, but, even if his attitude should be characterized as cautious rather than as indifferent, he never did go on crusade. Equally, however, he repeatedly justified his comparative inaction and, at the same time, made propaganda against his enemies by suggesting that their hostility alone prevented him from embarking on an expedition to drive back the infidel.This response, since it was not untypical of the princes of his generation, helps explain the West's failure to unite against the Turks. From the point of view of Burgundian history, Charles's cautious attitude towards the crusade tends to support the revisionists who argue that he was far less ‘rash’ than the traditional historical view allows.     

《西域土地人物略》的最早、最好版本

本文认为 ,《西域土地人物略》是现存少数记述明代西域史地的历史文献之一 ,其所证地域最广 ,可信程度甚高 ,并反映了当时西域与中原的联系及其相互影响。但目前两种通行本不仅文字讹误歧异处甚多 ,而且体例亦不相同 ,学者不知所从。得其祖本嘉靖《陕西通志》本 ,通行本中的讹误歧异即可厘清。至其作者 ,当非汉人或穆斯林 ;作时当在宣德十年 ( 14 35)甚至成化十年 ( 14 74 )之后。     

商王朝东征与商夷关系

商王朝东征始自中商仲丁时期,此后直至商末,商王朝持续对东方夷族用兵。商王朝东征对商代的历史和商夷关系产生了重大影响,一是推动夷族商化,二是商夷之间长期对峙,并导致夷族内部的分化。中商时期商王朝东征是为了转移内部矛盾并掠夺资源,晚商时期几次大规模的东征是征伐不服于商王朝的以人方为代表的东夷族。     

Britain and the British Antarctic Territory in the wider geopolitics of the Antarctic and the Southern Ocean

Britain's contemporary and future relationship with the British Antarctic Territory and the wider region is the subject matter of this article. In the aftermath of the ill‐fated plans for a merger of British Antarctic Survey (BAS) and the National Oceanography Centre, it is timely to ask how the UK projects influence and secures its scientific, resource and strategic interests. The contemporary Antarctic is increasingly characterized by tension over resource management and conservation politics as Antarctic Treaty parties disagree, both in private and public, over the purpose of legal instruments and the regulation of activities such as fishing and marine conservation. While we do not predict the collapse of the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), our analysis suggests that the effectiveness and legitimacy of the ATS is increasingly under challenge. The United Kingdom's position as a claimant state and original signatory to the Antarctic Treaty is complicated by the presence of counter‐claimants (Argentina and Chile) and a wider preoccupation with other overseas territories, such as South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands and the Falkland Islands. Polar science, carried out by BAS and other British agents, remains critical not only for maintaining the UK's ‘soft power’ but also increasingly for cementing a ‘strategic presence’ in the Antarctic. The article ends with a cautionary note: scientific excellence is no longer sufficient to guarantee geopolitical/strategic interests and there is growing evidence that claimant and non‐claimant states alike are no longer regarding Antarctica as an area that will remain free of intensifying and diversifying resource exploitation.     

Art and Procreative Illusion in the Sepik: Comparing the Abelam and the Arapesh

This essay extends Anthony Forge's ideas about the ‘unspoken meanings’ of Abelam ritual art, by testing them against cognate forms among the neighboring Ilahita Arapesh, and by invoking L.R. Hiatt's insights into ‘pseudo-procreation rites’ among Australian Aborigines. It is argued that the meanings of Abelam visual art and Arapesh myth are comparably ineffable, and that in both cases this non-verbal quality conduces to the expression of ideas that are cognitively, socially, or emotionally unacceptable to consciousness. The conclusions are, first, that veiled, ritual and aesthetic expressions of ‘procreation’ permit the men to enact a fantasy of male parthenogenesis; and, secondly, that the cult-sponsored tricks and illusions surrounding these expressions have the effect of surreptitiously appropriating female procreative power to the concealed goals of male ritual.     

Australia and the promise and the perils of humanitarian diplomacy

ABSTRACT

Humanitarian diplomacy has always been a crucial element of humanitarianism, however it is now becoming a more prominent element of states’ foreign policies. It holds many attractions and much promise. It provides states with a way of expressing important qualities of international empathy and solidarity and can also enhance a state’s international reputation and provide valuable means for building relationship of trust and cooperation. This can in turn can be conducive to a state’s broader foreign policy objectives. However, there are also perils to the incorporation of humanitarian diplomacy into a state’s foreign policy. It can generate ambiguity and even conflict within a state’s diplomatic endeavours due to tensions between humanitarian and broader national interests. In exploring these issues it is useful to distinguish between humanitarian diplomacy and humanitarianism as diplomacy. This article explores these issues in relations to Australia’s diplomacy. It argues that Australia has actively engaged in humanitarian diplomacy and humanitarianism as diplomacy. Whilst the two are often complementary, there are areas in which they have been in tension and even at odds. This has implications for Australia’s international reputation but also for its capacity to undertake genuine and effective humanitarian action.     

20世纪30年代报刊媒介与西北开发

在20世纪30年代,中国面临着严重的经济危机、政治危机和民族危机,各报刊杂志纷纷刊登开发西北边疆的文章,喊出了开发西北的呼声。各有识之士利用报刊这一信息工具来研究西北、宣传西北;为开发西北制造舆论,推动了南京国民政府对西北的开发。但最终实效十分有限。     

拷贝与借鉴--论渤海国与唐廷和日本的文化交流

渤海国从建国伊始,便积极从事对外,特别是与唐廷和日本的文化交流促进了其政治体制的成熟和经济的发展,本文认为渤海国热心于对外文化交流的动因,最初是出于藩国本身政治和军事的需要,并从意识形态,生活方式,文学艺术三个方面,分析了其在对外文化交流过程中,对唐廷和日本文化的不同摄取方式,渤海国对盛唐文化全盘吸收,使用的是拷贝式的摄取方式,而与日本的文化交流,则是同一文化圈内各子文化系统之间的借鉴式交流,文章还就渤海国在政治实体消亡后,灿烂辉煌的渤海文化几乎顷刻淹灭的文化发展史之迷,作了尝试性回答。     

商周时期的青铜觚及相关问题研究

青铜觚最早出现于二里岗文化时期,盛行于殷墟文化,西周早期逐渐衰退并消失。铜觚圈足上的十字形镂孔与铸造过程中采用的泥芯撑有关,金属芯撑技术的使用开始于二里岗文化时期,殷墟文化时期金属芯撑的使用逐渐规范化。圈足上的镂空纹饰是商周时期铜器装饰手法的一种,圈足下端的条状缺口可能是铸造过程中用来定位的,但不能排除是装饰或者铜器的拥有者因某种特殊的文化习俗或使用需求而让铸造工匠刻意为之的可能性。     

汉唐受降城与胡汉交融

受降城地处胡汉分界,又为游牧、农耕民族经济交汇之要区,因而在汉唐时期的民族关系中发挥了重要作用。受降城在唐诗及汉唐文献中多有出现,因其独特的地理位置,中原王朝与西北少数民族或战或和的民族关系皆在受降城留下了历史烙印,因而利用唐诗及汉唐文献对其进行考证,以窥当时之民族关系,实有必要。     

Feud and fable: the Sherrington-Horsley polemic and the delayed publication

In the February and March 1894 pages of The Lancet and in private letters, Charles Sherrington and Victor Horsley exchanged angry accusations pertaining to primacy of research on the course of the pyramidal fiber tract as determined from studies in monkeys. The polemics appear not to have ended in a manner satisfactory to either one. Moreover, the dispute allegedly led to a remarkable delay in publication of one of Sherrington's major contributions, which pertained to the localization of the motor cortex in apes that was published in 1917. Here we examine the argument in detail including the comments of an intermediary, Professor Rubert Boyce. We also examine the evidence for the supposed delay in publication, and conclude that the account of the delay originated in John Fulton's 1952 obituary of Sherrington, and is not true. We suggest it has become a fable that should no longer be repeated.     

Between left and right: cooperation and the split between Yu Qiaqing and the CPC during the era of the Northern Expedition

During the Northern Expedition, the Communist Party of China (CPC) had close contact with certain businessmen; one of these was Yu Qiaqing of Shanghai, who played a role in the background of the Three Armed Uprisings of Shanghai Workers. Because of this contact, Yu Qiaqing was regarded as a leading figure of the leftist bourgeoisie. He was also considered an important collaborator with the provisional municipal government after these uprisings. However, his cooperation with the CPC did not jeopardize his alliance with the Nationalist Party. When Chiang Kai-shek, an old friend of his, arrived in Shanghai, Yu soon turned himself into one of Chiang's financial advisors. Although it is hard to argue that Yu Qiaqing's behavior was representative of most businessmen's party preferences, it does demonstrate that some businessmen had a profiteering attitude in politics and were open to taking advantage of the nexus between politics and business. Influenced by the political context and situation, the CPC was also able to flexibly apply its “class analysis” theory during that time to justify the policy of cooperating with people like Yu Qiaqing. However, the failure of cooperation with the bourgeoisie by 1927 became an excuse for opposing factions within the party to criticize this policy, and even affected the CPC's subsequent policy line afterwards.     

几种印鉴及相关书画真伪

本文概述了几种印鉴的钤盖特点,对其真伪及与之相关的书画作品和作者加以简要考证。