东西方比较文学的未来

摘要

"欧洲中心主义"既是比较文学早期欧美学者对学科"跨语""多语"属性的清醒认识和学术自律,也暗中滋长了莫瑞蒂和卡桑诺瓦等当代欧美学者构建世界文学系统时的价值偏见.这种偏见在东西方均有存在,它表现为以自身文化传统为独特而优越的源头,视他者文化为边缘和低等,甚至直接无视、放弃与他者建立情感联系和伦理共鸣,从而中断了对泰戈尔所呼吁的"普遍人性"的总体式追寻.与此民族中心主义观念并行不悖的是当代西方学术研究中对共同人性的避而不谈,转而追求库恩之"不可通约性"、德里达之"差异",通过强调差异,进而在东西方语言文化交流中制造出福柯之"异托邦""不可译性"以及对东方人、西方人、亚洲人的刻板印象和笼统定义.然而,东西方哲学家孟子、辛格尔、拉科夫等人在道德原则、人性善恶、哲学论证方式上的不期而遇和殊途同归,也再次为不同文明之间的同情和理解打开了无限可能性的大门.30多年前,克劳迪奥·纪廉、艾田朴呼吁打破"欧洲中心主义"并践行东西方比较的世界主义理想.如今,面对着地球上紧张的政治局势、不断升级的军事冲突和不同民族文化之间理解的缺乏,一种超越东西方差异的跨文化理解势在必行.它不但是东西方比较文学研究之未来,更是美好世界期许到来之前提.%"Eurocentric"claims not only demonstrate earlier European comparatists'self-awareness of comparative literature as a research field across languages, cultures and disciplines, but also nurture a biased critical discourse of world literature,as formulated by Franco Moretti and Pascale Casanova.The core idea of"ethnocentrism"in various forms is to see its own culture as unique and superior to other cultures.This misconception has impaired meaningful emotional connections, ethical resonance and the"consummate beauty of human nature"envisioned by Rabindranath Tagore. Parallel to this fallacy is the practice of ignoring or distorting shared humanity in much of contemporary Western scholarship, as manifest in the idea of Thomas Kuhn's incommensurability, Jacquess Derrida's différance, Michel Foucault's China as heterotopia, the widely-discussed notion of untranslatability and the stereotyping of West, East or Asia.However, despite the professed differences, similarities and affinities shared by Mencius, Peter Singer and George Lakoff are surprisingly discernible in their discussions on moral principles, humanity and ways of philosophizing, which opens up the infinite possibility of sympathy and understanding. Thirty years ago, Claudio Guillen and René?Etiemble urged us to break with Euro-centrism and to fulfill the cosmopolitan ideal of East-West comparative studies.Nowadays,in view of political tension, escalated military conflicts and the lack of understanding, it is of utter necessity to promote cross-cultural understanding across East-West cultural-linguistic differences. It is not only the future of East-West comparative studies but also the promise of a better world.