现代化史观与拉美史研究

史学的发展需要不断地进行批判性的自我反思,以便及时发现问题和调整发展的思路与方向。这种反思不但是一门学科不断走向成熟和具有生命力的体现,而且是该学科的研究者主体意识的表现。中国的拉丁美洲历史研究迄今已走过了百年的风雨历程,但其真正的发展却是从20世纪50年代末60年代初开始的,并在80年代和90年代初出现了短暂的兴盛局面,取得了较大的成绩。90年代中期以来,拉美史这门年轻的学科却明显地出现了萎缩现象,陷入了困境状态。为什么会出现这种现象?我们已有的拉美史研究究竟存在着哪些问题?与国外同行相比存在着哪些差距?中国的拉丁美洲历史研究如何才能走出困境,实现全面复兴?这些不仅仅是这门年轻的学科本身所必须思索的问题,而且这些问题的解决对于和拉丁美洲各国一样同属于发展中国家的中国的现实历史的发展也具有重大的实践意义。有鉴于此,本刊特邀福建师范大学社会历史学院王晓德教授主持了本期“问题与出路:中国拉丁美洲史研究的反思”笔谈,约请中国社会科学院拉丁美洲研究所和世界历史研究所、北京大学、复旦大学等单位的拉丁美洲史研究专家,就上述问题各自阐述了其真知灼见,进行了非常有意义的对话和交流。这组文章能否对改变目前中国的拉丁美洲史研究的状况有所裨益,我们将俟诸读者的评析。     

问题与出路：中国拉丁美洲史研究的反思——现代化史观与拉美史研究

史学的发展需要不断地进行批判性的自我反思,以便及时发现问题和调整发展的思路与方向。这种反思不但是一门学科不断走向成熟和具有生命力的体现,而且是该学科的研究者主体意识的表现。中国的拉丁美洲历史研究迄今已走过了百年的风雨历程,但其真正的发展却是从20世纪50年代末60年代初开始的,并在80年代和90年代初出现了短暂的兴盛局面,取得了较大的成绩。90年代中期以来,拉美史这门年轻的学科却明显地出现了萎缩现象,陷入了困境状态。为什么会出现这种现象？我们已有的拉美史研究究竟存在着哪些问题？与国外同行相比存在着哪些差距？中国的拉丁美洲历史研究如何才能走出困境,实现全面复兴？这些不仅仅是这门年轻的学科本身所必须思索的问题,而且这些问题的解决对于和拉丁美洲各国一样同属于发展中国家的中国的现实历史的发展也具有重大的实践意义。有鉴于此,本刊特邀福建师范大学社会历史学院王晓德教授主持了本期“问题与出路：中国拉丁美洲史研究的反思”笔谈,约请中国社会科学院拉丁美洲研究所和世界历史研究所、北京大学、复旦大学等单位的拉丁美洲史研究专家,就上述问题各自阐述了其真知灼见,进行了非常有意义的对话和交流。这组文章能否对改变目前中国的拉丁美洲史研究的状况有所裨益,我们将俟诸读者的评析。[编者按]     

The Political Economy of Industrialization: A Comparison of Latin American and East Asian Newly Industrializing Countries

ABSTRACT The paper analyses the industrial performance of two East Asian (South Korea and Taiwan) and three Latin American (Argentina, Brazil and Mexico) newly industrializing countries. It argues that the better performance in East Asia is not due simply to differences in trade orientation or the degree of state intervention, but rather to the effectiveness of intervention. This is explained in terms of the relative autonomy of the state and the structuring of the state apparatus in the two regions. The historically determined class structure and the international context led to much greater state autonomy in East Asia than in Latin America. The last part of the paper shows a number of ways in which this greater relative autonomy has contributed to rapid industrial growth in East Asia in comparison with Latin America.     

Working/Touring the Past: Latin American Identity and the Political Frustration of Heritage

This article explores the pervasive impact of the pre-Hispanic past on contemporary Latin American identity, using the Ecuadorian Indian movement and the Yucatacan town of Izamal as two symbolic sites where many of these factors vie for official recognition. Therefore, the central topic of this article is also an essential element of the debate contained within the global development discourse: How is it possible for Latin American to face the constant onslaught of powerful North America and European iconic images and not in some way embody its own inherent internalized forms of colonial oppression?     

Photography and Latin American Ruins

Ever since the nineteenth century photographers have regularly turned to Latin American ruins to express a diverse range of scientific, colonial, aesthetic and spiritual desires. This article looks at photographs of Latin American ruins from the nineteenth century through several archaeological expeditions in Central and South America over the course of the twentieth century. Focusing in particular on photographs of ruins that include human subjects, I argue that the human-material interactions evident in these images undermine the traditional view of a split between the archaeological subject and the material object, serving as a reminder of the political actuality of ‘classical’ ruins, sites that have sometimes been left out of the West’s contemporary fascination with the dark underbelly of modernity. Acknowledging that such politics is by no means always innocent, sometimes reflecting as it does the embedded power relations of neo-colonial desires, I argue nonetheless that ancient ruins in Latin America continue to be spaces around which social relations can be formed, not least through humour and pleasure.