资源描述:
《The Art of History》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。
1、THECHINESEHISTORICALREVIEW,VOL.11,NO.2(FALL2004):133−154TheArtofHistory:AConversationwithJonathanSpenceHANCHAOLUJONATHAND.Spence,SterlingProfessorofHistoryatYaleUniversityandPresidentoftheAmericanHistoricalAssociation(AHA),visitedtheGeorgiaInstituteofTechnologyandGeorgiaStat
2、eUniversityinApril,2004.Duringhisvisit,Ihadtheopportunitytoaskforhisviews(astheChinesewouldsay,qingjiao)onvariousissuesrelatedtoChinesehistory1andhistoriography.Wehadmutuallyagreedthatthiswasnottobeaformalinterviewbutratheraseriesof“chats.”Ourconversation,however,didtouchupo
3、nawidearrayoftopics:historyandliterature,narrativeandtheory,socialhistoryanddailylife,traditionandmodernity,thepolicyimplicationsofhistoricalwritinganditsimpactonpopularknowledge,ChinesehistoriansintheU.S.,thefutureofChina,andsoon.Althoughmostofthequestionsaskedreflectedmyow
4、ninterests,ProfessorSpence’sinsightsonthesubjectsdiscussednodoubtwillbeofbenefittoabroadspectrumofChinascholarsandhistorians.Inwhatisarareachievementforahistorian,JonathanSpencehasattainedaneminentstatusinacademiawhileenjoyinggreatpopularityamongtheeducatedgeneralpublic.This
5、isparticularlyremarkableconsideringthatChinesehistoryis,tobeblunt,marginalinAmericanhistoriography.Spence’sdualfeatofhistoriographyisself-evidentinthe1ProfessorSpencedeliveredatalk,“ChinaToday:ThePersistenceofthePast,”attheGeorgiaStateUniversityandaseminaron"HowDynastiesFall
6、:ASeventeenth-CenturyView"attheGeorgiaTech.133134HANCHAOLUfactthathisbookshaveoccupiedaprominentplaceinthecatalogofBarns&Noblefordecadesandthat,in2004,hehasbeenelectedastheAHApresident,thefirstYaleprofessortoserveinthatpostinmorethanthirtyyearsandoneofonlythreeChinahistorian
7、severtohavebeenaccordedthathonor(theothertwobeingJohnK.FairbankandFredericWakeman,Jr.).Hisremarksonvariousissuesrecordedhere,ifImaysummarize,constitutearecordofahistorian’swisdomontheartofhistory.SinceProfessorSpence’sChinesename,ShiJingqian(史景迁),mightbetranslated—orratherin
8、terpreted—as“AhistorianwhoadmiresSimaQian,”ourconversationstartswiththegrea