现在比较历史学风行一时。它是美国历史学会1978年年会和《美国历史评论》1980年10月号及12月号的研究课题。有关研究历史学科现状的著作,例如卡曼(M.Kammen)最近发表的集子《当代美国史学》,通常都选收了关于比较历史学的论文。无论在传统的史学领域,还是在新兴的史学领域,专家们都呼吁在比较历史研究方面要作出新的努力。正如海厄姆(J.Higham)所说的,尽管真正的比较研究“仍旧是零星的和分散的……但近年来在历史学家中,比较历史学的意识已经广泛传播开来了。”我想就美国比较历史学的实践和存在的问题进行探讨。比较历史学有三个功能。第一,通过研究可 Now more popular history of the moment. It is the American Historical Society 1978 annual meeting and the “American Historical Review” October and December 1980 issue of the research topic. Books on the status quo of history, such as the recently published collection by M. Kammen, “Contemporary American History,” usually include essays on comparative history. In both traditional and emerging fields of history, experts have called for new efforts in the comparison of historical studies. As J. Higham put it, while the real comparative study “is still sporadic and scattered ... But among historians, the consciousness of comparative historism has spread widely in recent years.” I I’d like to discuss the practice and existing problems of comparative history in the United States. Comparative history has three functions. First, through research can be