回歸傳統:歷史學視野中的資本主義

虽然明清资本主义萌芽研究和西方现代史学都使用了资本主义一词, 但双方并无相同的理论背景。 资本主义作为一个成熟的学科概念是由19世纪末20世纪初的历史学家和强调历史面向的政治经济学家(可简 称为“德国历史学派”)一起创造出来的, 强调从历史而不是从抽象的理论中寻求社会变化的原因。资本主义萌 芽这一概念的启用, 实际上是对欧洲近代历史的严重误读。有鉴于此, 在今后的中国历史研究中应该用资本主 义来取代资本主义萌芽, 回归本来的经典史学的传统。This paper attributes many differences between the hypothesis of the sproutsof capitalism in the Ming-Qing eras, adominant paradigm of China's historical research in the last half of the twentieth century, and theTang-Song transition thesis, one that argues early modern Chinese history began in the eleventh century along with the development of capitalism and the rise of a fiscal state, to their opposite visions of capitalism. It demonstrates the way Chinese historians have used the concept of capitalism differed very much from what was used in modern European historiography, and explores further the formation of this concept in European historical writings after the late nineteenth century, especially the influence of the German Historical School.