知者無罪：海登懷特的歷史哲學

Sinners Know Not: Hayden White's Philosophy of History

李鑑慧(Chien-Hui Li)

《台灣社會研究季刊》 52期 (2003/12) Pp. 1-55

https://doi.org/10.29816/TARQSS.200312.0001

摘要

海登懷特的名字，與八○年代以降的重要史學發展潮流，如語言轉向、文化轉向、敍述再興、以至挑戰史學根基的後現代史學等等，都密不可分。本文首先檢討懷特在「後現代史學」爭議中之重要地位與影響，並說明這定義不明確的後現代討論架構並無法彰顯，甚且反而模糊了懷特的思想。本文並進一步提出－理解懷特方式，將其歷史哲學視爲對歷史做爲一學科的批判，這個批判試圖指出對歷史詩性之忽略，所造成的種種根本問題。透過對其「轉義理論」以及「敍述」本質之探討，本文並說明懷特所能帶給歷史書寫的兩層重要意義：意志的解放以及對文體功用之自覺性的提升。文末以反諷形式，澄清諸多對於懷特思想之典型誤解，並重申史家對自我與敍事本質之掌握的重要性。

關鍵字

海登懷特 ； 後現代主義 ； 歷史書寫 ； 轉義理論 ； 敍述 ； 詩學 ； 比喻 ； 客觀性

並列摘要

The name of Hayden White is often associated with developments in historiography since the 1980s such as linguistic and cultural turns, the revival of narrative, and the postmodern challenge that threatens to undermine the foundations of traditional historical practice. The article first examines White' place in discussions on postmodern historiography and argues that through White's centrality in these discussions testifies to the farreaching influence of his ideas, the ill-defined nature of postmodernism obscures rather than illumes White's own ideas own ideas on history. In this article, I set out to read White's philosophy as critiques the historical discipline and as attempts to liberate the burden of history by the negligence of its own poetic potential. Through a discussion of White's theory of tropes and narrativism, I expound on the tow manifest functions of White's philosophy of historical writing: liberation of the will, and enhancement of the critical self-awareness of the functions of the functions of narrative forms. The article concludes in an ironic mode by clarifying some typical misunderstandings of White's ideas and reiterating the importance of a historian's grasp of one's inner self and the nature of narrative acts.

並列關鍵字

Hayden White ； postmodernism ； historical writing ； theory of tropes ； narrative ； poetics ； metaphor ； objectivity

參考文獻

方孝謙(2000)。日據後期本島人的兩極認同。台灣社會研究季刊。42，183-228。

Ankersmit, F. R.(1990).Reply to Professor Zagorin.History and Theory.29,275-296.

Ankersmit, F. R.(1998).Hayden White's appeal to the historians.History and Theory.37（2）,182-193.

Ankersmit, F. R.,H. Kellner(1995).A New Philosophy of History.London:Reaktion Books.

Appleby, J.,Lynn Hunt,Margaret Jacob(1994).Telling the Truth about History.New York:Norton.