熊月之[1]
魏斐德（Frederic Wakeman）教授在其学术生涯的后半段将精力完全投入上海史研究领域，并获得了巨大的成就（“上海三部曲”、戴笠研究以及一大批上海史研究论文）。对于魏斐德教授而言，上海史研究有意义、有趣味、有特质、有资料。魏斐德后半生的“无法之法，乃为上法”的治史方法也在上海史研究成果中展露无遗，具体表现为：史料必求其极度翔实，叙述必求其周密生动，结论必求其圆通牢靠。这一治史方法也是诸如《史记》、《资治通鉴》、《罗马帝国兴亡史》等优秀历史著作的共性，魏斐德继承了这些不朽名著的优点。他研究中国历史，熟悉中国历史，他抛弃了中国史书“寓褒贬、别善恶”的传统，而是采取开放的、多视角的态度，避免将治史者的价值判断强加给读者，而这种视角恰恰是现代或后现代的史学特点。从这个意义上说，魏斐德是涵化了中西优秀史学传统的、有着当代开放精神的杰出史学家。
During Professor Wakeman’s latter half of his life，he put most of his energy on Shanghai History studies.His most important achievements in this academic field are Shanghai Trilogy，studies on Daili and a set of papers on Shanghai history.The reason why he loved Shanghai history is that this academic field is significant and interesting with particularity and plenty of materials.Through analyzing his academic achievements on Shanghai history，we can use one sentence to explain Wakeman’s method of his studying history during this period， that is“The best method is no method”.It is embodied in the following aspects：material should be extremely elaborate and reliable，depiction should be careful and lively，and conclusion should be persuasive and firmly.It is also the common trait of many excellent historical works such as Shi Ji，Zizhi Tongjian，and The Fall of the Roman Empire.Wakeman had inherited the merits of these immortal masterpiece.He is familiar with Chinese history through studying it.However，he didn’t inherit the tradition of Chinese historical books which contained a spirit of appraise and ditheism，but adopted an attitude of open and mutual perspectives.He is never impose his judgement on the readers，which is exactly the modern or postmodern historical feature.In this sense，Wakeman is an outstanding historian whose methodology contains both good historical tradition of east and west and modern open spirit.
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