Beyond Culture.docx
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BeyondCulture
TheParadoxofCulture
ByEdwardT..Hall
(FromBeyondCulture.EdwardT..Hall.NewYork:
AnchorPress/Doubleday﹠Company,Inc.1977.)
【作者简介】
爱德华·特·霍尔(EdwardT.Hall,1914—)是美国20世纪最有影响和最富创见的文化人类学家之一。
霍尔一生涉猎广泛,曾致力于“西方国家的民族特性”、“西方国家的工业管理”、“跨文化交际”、“美日关系及商业策略”、“人与空间”、“心理学和民族心理学”等研究。
他采用逆向的文化探索方式,从各民族文化特性中鲜为人知或为世人所漠视的层面上分析人类文化生活的共性和个性。
由于霍尔经常运用传播学的视野去审视文化和跨文化交际活动中的问题,他在美国传播界也享有盛名。
【内容简介】
“文化的悖论”(TheParadoxofCulture)选自《超越文化》(BeyondCulture)的第1章。
本文分析了思维模式的重要作用,其中典型的代表模式为西方的“一时一事制”(M—Time:
一段时间内进行一项活动)和东方的“一时多事制”(P—Time:
一段时间内进行多项活动)。
霍尔在分析和对比两种时制各自利弊的同时,着重剖析了西方思想体系中的线型逻辑思维方式。
他指出,线型模式是导致荒谬、分离人与本我、人与自然的根源。
人们因此过着分隔式的生活,矛盾被闭锁,日常活动受制于时、空的分割。
过分地强调秩序和计划必将导致荒谬和官僚。
霍尔认为所谓“纯粹习俗”的无意识文化因素与传统文化因素有着同等重要的作用。
人类只有跳出传统文化定义的圈子,摆脱陈旧文化观念对人的束缚,才能积极、客观和深刻地理解与评价文化。
【选文】
1.Twowidelydivergentbutinterrelatedexperiences,psycho-analysisandworkasananthropologist,haveledmetothebeliefthatinhisstrivingsfororder,Westernmanhascreatedchaosbydenyingthatpartofhisselfthatintegrateswhileenshriningthepartsthatfragmentexperience.Theseexaminationsofman’spsychehavealsoconvincedmethat:
thenaturalactofthinkingisgreatlymodifiedbyculture;Westernmanusesonlyasmallfractionofhismentalcapabilities;therearemanydifferentandlegitimatewaysofthinking;weintheWestvalueoneofthesewaysaboveallothers—theonewecall“logic,”alinearsystemthathasbeenwithussinceSocrates.
2.Westernmanseeshissystemoflogicassynonymouswiththetruth.Forhimitistheonlyroadtoreality.YetFreudeducatedustothecomplexitiesofthepsyche,helpinghisreaderstolookatdreamsasalegitimatementalprocessthatexistsquiteapartfromthelinearityofmanifestthought.Buthisideaswerefromtheoutsetstrenuouslyresisted,particularlybyscientistsandengineers,whowerestillweddedtoaNewtonianmodel.Whentakenseriously,Freudianthinkingshooktheveryfoundationsofconventionalthought.Freud'sfollowers,particularlyFrommandJung,undeterredbypopularstereotypesandthetremendousprestigeofthephysicalsciences,addedtohistheoriesandbridgedthegapbetweenthelinearworldoflogicandtheintegrativeworldofdreams.1
3.Knowingthattheinterpretationofdreams,myths,andactsisalwaystosomedegreeanindividualmatter,2IcannothelpaskingmyselfwhatapsychoanalyticallysophisticatedreaderwouldaddtomyowninterpretationofasequenceofeventsreportedinTheNewYorkTimesconcerningapolicedogsightedonRuffleBar,anuninhabitedislandnearNewYork.3Visibleonlyfromadistance,thedog,nicknamedtheKingofRuffleBar,hadsustaineditselfforanestimatedtwoyears,wasapparentlyingoodhealth,andpresumablywouldhavesurvivedinhissemi-wildstate,barringaccidents,fortherestofhisnaturallife.However,somewell-meaningsoulheardaboutthedogandreportedhimtotheAmericanSocietyforthePreventionofCrueltytoAnimals,therebysettingthebureaucraticwheelsinmotion.SincetheKingcouldnotbeapproachedbypeople,abaitedtrapwasset.AccordingtotheTimesreport.“...everyday,apolicelaunchfromSheepsheadBaytakesoffforRuffleBar,theuninhabitedswampyislandofthedog.Everyday,apolicehelicopterhoversforahalfhourormoreoverRuffleBar.”Aradioreportofthebroadcastatthetimedescribedhowthehelicopterharassedthedoginfutileeffortsto“catch”(sic)him(herefusedtoenterthetrap)oratleasttogetabetterviewofhim.Policewerequotedassayingthedog“lookedingoodshape.”Whenquestioned,representativesoftheASPCAsaid:
"Whenwecatchthedog,wewillhaveitexaminedbyavet,andifitisingoodhealth,wewillfindahappyhomeforit.”4(italicsadded)
4.Ifthisstoryhadbeenadreamoramythinsteadofanewsreport,thereislittledoubtastoitsinterpretation.Boththelatentandthemanifestcontentarequiteclear,possiblyexplainingwhythislocalnewsitemwasgivennationalcoverage.Ifind,asIgooverthestory,thatfreeassociationscometomindondifferentlevels.Thestoryepitomizesthelittlemanagainstthebigbureaucracy.Thereisalsoadelusionalsidewhichcannotbeoverlooked.TheASPCAbecameobsessedwithcapturingthedog.Oncetriggered,theASPCAinvolvedthepolicewitharemorseless,mindlesspersistencethatistooterrifyinglycharacteristicofbureaucraciesoncetheyareactivated.Interestinglyenough,thepolice,havingknownaboutthedogfortwoyears,hadbeencontenttoleavehimontheisland.Emotionally,theysidedwiththeKing,evenwhilecarryingouttheirorders.“Whydon'ttheyleavethedogalone?
”saidonepoliceman.Anotherobserved,“Thedogisashappyasapiginapuddle.”5
5.Thedelusionalaspectshavetodowiththeinstitutionalizednecessitytocontrol"everything,"andthewidelyacceptednotionthatthebureaucratknowswhatisbest;neverforamomentdoeshedoubtthevalidityofthebureaucraticsolution.Itisalsoslightlyinsane,oratleastindicativeofourincapacitytoorderprioritieswithanycommonsense,tospendthousandsofdollarsforhelicopters,gasoline,andsalariesforthesolepurposeofbureaucraticneatness.
6.Evenmorerecently,aNewYorkTimesnewsitem6reportedaU.S.ParkPolicecampaigntostampoutkiteflyingonthegroundsoftheWashingtonMonument.TheirchartertoharassthekiteflierslayinanoldlawwrittenbyCongresssupposedlytokeeptheWrightbrothers'planesfrombecomingfouledinkitestrings.
7.ThepsychoanalystLaingisconvincedthattheWesternworldismad.7ThesestoriesofthedogandthekitefliersbolsterLaing'sviewandsymbolizeman'splightaswellasanyrecenteventsIknow.8However,itisnotmanwhoiscrazysomuchashisinstitutions9andthoseculturepatternsthatdeterminehisbehavior.WeintheWestarealienatedfromourselvesandfromnature.Welaborunderanumberofdelusions,oneofwhichisthatlifemakessense;i.e.,thatwearesane.Wepersistinthisviewdespitemassiveevidencetothecontrary.Welivefragmented,compartmentalizedlivesinwhichcontradictionsarecarefullysealedofffromeachother.Wehavebeentaughttothinklinearlyratherthancomprehensively,10andwedothisnotthroughconsciousdesignorbecausewearenotintelligentorcapable,butbecauseofthewayinwhichdeepculturalundercurrentsstructurelifeinsubtlebuthighlyconsistentwaysthatarenotconsciouslyformulated.Liketheinvisiblejetstreamsintheskiesthatdeterminethecourseofastorm,thesehiddencurrentsshapeourlives;yettheirinfluenceisonlybeginningtobeidentified.Givenourlinear,step-by-step,compartmentalizedwayofthinking,11fosteredbytheschoolsandpublicmedia,itisimpossibleforourleaderstoconsidereventscomprehensivelyortoweighprioritiesaccordingtoasystemofcommongood,allofwhichcanbeplacedlikeanunwantedwaifonculture'sdoorstep.Yet,paradoxically,fewanthropologistsareinagreementastowhattoincludeunderthegeneralrubricofculture.Whileitwillbedeniedbysome,muchdependsontheanthropologist'sownculture,whichexertsadeepandabidinginfluencenotonlyoverhowanthropologiststhinkbutoverwheretheydrawtheboundariesinsuchmatters.Frequently,thegreaterportionofcontemporaryculturewillbeexcludedorreferredtoas“mereconvention”.Inapracticalsensetheconventionsofthefieldandwhatone'speersarestudyinghavemoretodowithwhatanthropologistsdefineasculturethananappraisalofone'sdatamightindicate.Likeeveryoneelse,anthropologistsusemodels,andsomemodelsaremorefashionablethanothers.Mostofthemarehandeddownandmodifiedperiodically.
8.Thereadermaywellask,“Whatisamodel?
”or“Whatkindofmodelsareyoutalkingabout?
”Whilemodelsandhowmanusesthemarejustbeginningtobeunderstood,onethingiscertain:
manydifferentmodelsexist.Mechanicalmodels,suchasscalemodelsofairplanesflowninwindtunnels,showhowmachinesandprocesseswork.Modelsformakingmoldscanreproduceeverythingfrommachinestocopiesofworksofart.Lifemodelshelptheartistfillingapsinafaultyvisualmemory.Parentsandteachersmaybemodelsfortheyoung.
9.Scientistsusetheoreticalmodels,oftenmathematicalinnature.Theseareusedtosymbolicallyexpresscertainqualities,quantities,andrelationshipsencounteredinlife.Econometricians,forexample,usethesemodelstoinvestigatehowthemoremeasurableaspectsoftheeconomicsystemoperate.
10.Anthropologistsusepredominantlynon-mathematicaltheoreticalmodelsthatarerootedinculture.Sincecultureisitselfaseriesofsituationalmodelsforbehaviorandthought,themodelsanthropologistsusearefrequentlyhighlyabstractversionsofpartsofmodelsthatmakeuptheentireculture(kinshipsystems,forexample).
11.Manisthemodel-makingorganismparexcellence.Hisearliestintellectualendeavorsresultedinmonumentsthatraysmystifiedandpuzzledtwentieth-centurymanuntiltheywerefiguredout.Stonehenge,forexample,isamodelofthesolarsystemthatenabledtheearlyinhabitantsoftheSalisburyPlaintomakeaccurateobservationsofcelestialeventsandtokeeptrackoftheseasons,ordertheirceremoniallife,andevenpredicteclipsesatatimewhennoonewouldhavethoughtsuchrefinedcalculationsandobservationswerepossible.(fifteenhundredtotwothousandyearsB.C!
).
12.Grammarsandwritingsystemsaremodelsoflanguage.Anyschoolchildwhohasstruggledtomakesenseofwhatheistaughtknowsthatsomefitreasonablywell,othersdon't.Myths,philosophicalsystems,andsciencerepresentdifferenttypesofmodelsofwhatthesocialscientistscallcognitivesystems.Thepurposeofthemodelistoenabletheusertodoa