故紙堆中作新文章：檔案研究與中國研究

從事中共歷史研究時，作為一手歷史文獻的官方檔案甚為重要，善用之可有助於恢復歷史的原來面貌。對海外研究者而言，在中國大陸進行檔案研究，雖然面對諸多人為的設限與障礙，但是仍然可以有所作為，地方檔案館就是重要的突破口。事實上，目前學界已有不少的研究成果，主要取材自地方的檔案。前往地方檔案館蒐集檔案，行前最好預作規畫，在入館後也宜注意若干事項，以免事倍功半、未達預期的查檔目標。使用中共官方檔案時，必須注意檔案本身可能存在的問題與侷限；盡可能客觀地使用和小心解讀檔案，乃是發揮檔案作用的重要前提。檔案研究可用於中國大陸研究，特別是當以中共歷史作為實證案例選題時，其可厚實相關研究的資料來源與基礎、進而增加學術論證的說服力。

關鍵字

歷史研究法；檔案研究；檔案蒐集；中國研究

並列摘要

When conducting research on the history of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), it is always important to collect and make good use of first-hand historical materials, especially official archives. Even difficulties of approaching archives in Mainland China is expected, the rich collections of local archives still drive academics all over the world to pursue the access to them. Before starting a local archive trip, a thorough plan is necessary, and researchers have to be cautious once entering archives to avoid omitting significant historical documents. After collecting official archives, it is crucial to assess archival materials critically, and to carefully interpret and incorporate them into research. Finally, archival research can enrich China studies to a great extent, especially advantaging the case studies of CCP history. Empirical studies implementing such practices are become more solid and convincing.