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]     

全球史对世界史编纂理论和方法的发展

“全球史观”是近年来由国外史学界首先提出的一种研究世界历史的新观点,在这种新视野影响下形成的全球史史学显示出新的世界史编纂模式。全球史史学与传统世界史相比,无论在视角、编纂范围、意识形态、研究方法、历史分期和话语特征诸方面都有新的突破。全球史史学尚不能代替国别史的传统研究领域,但它开创了新的领域———研究国家或区域间的互动交流和全球文明在其他方面的整体关联。全球史史学所带来的方法论意义以及它所表现出的对带有强烈欧洲中心论意识形态的旧世界史体系的解构具有进步意义。     

Reflections on the Latin American Contribution to Development Theory

ABSTRACT During the last decade a series of essays by prominent development theorists were published in which it was argued that development theory was in crisis. In my view the First World bias of development theory has contributed to its shortcomings. This bias is evidenced by the failure of development theory seriously to examine and incorporate into its mainstream the theories emanating from the Third World. In this paper I deal with the Latin American contribution to development theory. While development theorists have given some attention to dependency studies and structuralism, far too little appreciation has been given to the writings on marginality and internal colonialism. However, the significance of the structuralist school for development thinking and practice has yet to be fully acknowledged. Furthermore, dependency theory has been much distorted and key dependency writers have been completely ignored, especially in the Anglo-Saxon world. The following themes of the multi-stranded Latin American development school are examined: the debate on reform or revolution, the structuralist or centre-periphery paradigm, the analyses on internal colonialism and marginality, and the dependency studies. Wherever relevant the key differing positions within the Latin American school are presented. I then proceed to examine the shortcomings as well as the contemporary relevance of these Latin American theories of development and underdevelopment.     

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.     

New Approaches to Sacred Space

Stephen Murray : A Gothic Sermon: Making a Contract with the Mother of God, Saint Mary of Amiens. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2004. Jaime Lara : City, Temple, Stage: Eschatological Architecture and Liturgical Theatrics in New Spain. Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2004. Robert Nelson : Hagia Sophia 1850–1950: Holy Wisdom, Holy Monument. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004. Robert W. Moss : Historic Sacred Places of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2005.     

Dancing to Different Tunes: Conveying Latin American realities to composite classes

Students are often attracted to courses about Latin America by media images of the region with their aura of danger and unpredictability. Such stereotypes must be addressed in teaching, but the means is far from clear when the participants stem from different disciplinary backgrounds and academic traditions. The method adopted here was to tackle development through discourse construction through an appreciation of positionality. This approach enabled students to draw on their respective backgrounds and experience critically; it also ensured that students appreciated the core concepts embedded in the discipline, while engaging in a challenging way with the issues raised by Latin American development.