作　者：杜华
关键词：奴隶制；美国；宪法；政治精英；当下主义
摘　要：

20世纪90年代以来，美国奴隶制政治史研究呈现出鲜明的批判性倾向。该倾向在两个重要领域表现特别明显：一是奴隶制与宪法关系。很多学者认为联邦宪法在本质上是一份支持奴隶制的文件，制宪者的目的是保护和维持奴隶制。二是建国精英与奴隶制的关系。不少学者对建国精英的私人生活、经济实践和个人道德进行细致考察，认为奴隶制并非他们高尚道德中的微小瑕疵，反而深刻塑造了他们的日常实践和情感世界。二者共同构建了一种新的历史叙事，强调在美国早期历史中，无论是宏观的国家政治层面，抑或是日常的微观权力关系领域，自由与奴役都不是简单对立的，而是高度纠缠、相互塑造的。近期的新研究则在方法、视野、主题和史料方面均取得了一定突破，更为深刻地揭示出奴隶制与美国早期政治之间的复杂关联，有力地打破了美国历史叙事的自由神话。然而，过于强烈的现实关怀和批判意识，也导致这些研究存在脱离历史语境和本质主义的风险。奴隶制政治史的新研究，其实体现出美国当代史学普遍存在的问题，即具有鲜明的当下主义立场，导致历史研究被过度政治化。

 

Critiques and Reflections: Recent Historiographical Trends In the Political History of American Slavery
Du Hua

(Wuhan University)
Abstract Since the 1990s, the study of the political history of American slavery has exhibited a distinct critical turn, which manifests prominently in two key areas. The first concerns the nexus between slavery and the U.S. Constitution. Many scholars now argue that the Federal Constitution was inherently a pro-slavery document, designed to protect and perpetuate the institution. The second focuses on the ties between the founding elites and slavery. Through meticulous examinations of these elites' private lives, economic activities and personal ethics, many researchers contend that slavery, far from a trivial blemish on their lofty moral standing, profoundly shaped their daily routines and emotional landscapes. Together, these perspectives contribute to a fresh historical narrative highlighting that in early American history—both in macro-level state politics and micro-level everyday power dynamics—liberty and slavery were not simply antithetical but were deeply entangled and mutually constitutive. Recent scholarly advances in research methodology, analytical perspective, thematic focuses and historical records have further unveiled the intricate links between slavery and early American politics, effectively dismantling the myth of liberty in traditional American historical narratives. Nevertheless, the great preoccupation with contemporary social issues and intense critical fervor may expose these studies to the pitfalls of decontextualization and essentialism. In fact, these new studies epitomize a pervasive predicament in contemporary American historiography: a pronounced stance of presentism that risks over-politicizing historical inquiry.
Key words slavery; the United States; Constitution; political elites; presentism

 

■ 作者简介 杜华，武汉大学历史学院教授，湖北 武汉 430072。

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