China Social Science Review

No.2, 2022

The Dilemmas and New Paths of Chinese Historical Anthropological Research

(Abstract)

Dai Hongliang

The discipline of Chinese historical anthropology has risen on the basis of a dialogue with mainstream Western theories. Since its birth in the 1980s, Chinese historical anthropology has faced many dilemmas in terms of theoretical construction and research methods. In general, it has failed to break through the limits of field investigation; has encountered an interdisciplinary puzzle due to an excessive emphasis on social science methodology; and has found it hard to properly handle the relationship between “periphery” and “center” and that between “small places” and “grand history.” In recent years, the field of Chinese historical anthropology has made proactive efforts to find a way out through internal adjustments and new paths, developing Chinese characteristics in research content, scholarly context, problem awareness, theoretical methods, and academic evaluation.