「日常生活」的背後

The Methodology of the Study of Everyday Life

最近二、三十年在臺灣史學界興起的日常生活史，我個人把它當作新社會史的一環。因為「以人群為核心，以生活為起點」的新社會史，其實就是生活史研究最主要的部分。日常生活史之進入學院正統史學的殿堂，係人類歷史進入人民的時代所致，由於它反映一個國家、民族或地區絕大多數人的現象，而且又是最深沈、習焉不察的層面，所以也可以當作一個民族的根底。基於以上的認識，日常生活史研究要具備全面整體的視野，以避免枝節雜湊；但它也不是百貨公司式無所不包，而是從生活的一點呈現有機聯繫，以構成周全的歷史面貌。這兩點都是三十年前提倡的新社會史所強調的研究方法。但當年提倡新社會史時，有一個概念語焉不詳，本文則有所發揮－闡述歷史研究要能從表層看到內裡。這雖然是人世社會的經驗之談，但在講求論證的學術領域內卻非不證自明之理，而需要觀摩經典著作，體察適當方法，還要獨具敏銳的慧眼才能實踐。我認為立基於文物和文獻的歷史研究，史家需要對研究對象有所體驗，並依憑直覺而產生識見，其研究成果才容易貼切，歷史重建才能得其表又揭其裡，也才可能有活生生的歷史。這是歷史學各領域都面臨的大課題，非三言兩語可以說明白，但生活史研究不妨當作一個試驗場，或可為新史學創一新境界。

"The study of everyday life has emerged as a burgeoning academic field in the past two decades. I consider this subject as part and parcel of new social history that is based on the everyday lives of ordinary people. The recognition of the history of everyday life by academic historians is linked to the process of democratization. It reflects the deepest and most neglected aspects of people in a nation and region. It can therefore be regarded as the foundation of a nation. Thus, the study of everyday life requires a holistic viewpoint to avoid triviality and to construct a comprehensive picture based on the organic linkages in real life. These two points are the main methodology of new social history proposed thirty years ago. This article further advance one key concept that has yet to be fully elaborated when we first advocated new social history. The commonsense of going beneath the surface is not self-evident. It requires in-depth reading of classics, effective methodology, and sober wisdom to put it into practice. Historians need to understand their research subjects and use their instinct to achieve insight in addition to empirical study of objects and archives. Only then can we conduct meaningful research that vividly combines both the manifest and latent aspects of historical reconstruction. This is a great task for all the domains of historiography and cannot be summed up in a few words. The study of everyday life can be seen as a laboratory for innovative historical research."