摘要
英国在19世纪取得了水文地理学的全球权威地位。以往,这一知识权威的静态结果受到更多关注,而其得以确立的动态过程则鲜少研究。对重点人物詹姆斯·霍斯伯格和作为知识交流平台的期刊《海军纪事》的研究显示,水文地理知识是被逐步地生产、积累和校正的。早年在亚洲期间,霍斯伯格积累了关于亚洲海域的丰富的水文地理知识,他的成就也离不开作为雇主的英国东印度公司和对他有提携之恩的亚历山大·达林珀等体制性和社会性因素的促成。尤为重要的是,依托《海军纪事》的“通信”和“水文地理学”等栏目,推动了英国民间和官方海图的精确性日渐提高。此举对霍斯伯格在水文地理知识方面的权威既是挑战也是强化。总之,英国水文地理学权威性的确立是在不断的协商中逐步实现的,而不是先验的或任命式的。虽然此后英国海军主导了水文地理学的发展,但这一早期过程对于近代科学技术史研究仍有启示。
British hydrographic services became the authority of hydrography worldwide in the course of the nineteenth century. In the past, however, little attention had been paid to the dynamic process through which this authority was attained as compared to the authoritative status and its effects. This paper probes how the epistemic authority was gradually established while British hydrographic knowledge was being produced, accumulated, and calibrated. The roles played by key person James Horsburgh(1762-1836)and the journal The Naval Chronicle(1799-1818)are examined. By his perseverance and ingenuity, Horsburgh acquired profound knowledge of the Asian seas in his early years. His employer, the British East India Company, and his de facto patron Alexander Dalrymple(1737-1808), offered him crucial institutional and societal supports. More importantly, the frequent exchanges of hydrographic knowledge in the Correspondences and Hydrography columns in The Naval Chronicle were pivotal to the improvement of British sea charts.This act both challenged and consolidated Horsburgh's authority. In sum, the epistemic authority of British hydrography was established through continuous negotiation, rather than being a priori or by ordainment.Even though, as the nineteenth century proceeded, the Royal Navy took charge of the development of British hydrography, this episode is still relevant to studies on the history of modern science and technology.
作者
丁雁南
项羽雯
Ding Yannan;Xiang Yuwen(Center for Historical Geographical Studies,Fudan University,200433)
出处
《中国历史地理论丛》
CSSCI
北大核心
2024年第4期150-158,共9页
Journal of Chinese Historical Geography
基金
国家自然科学基金面上项目“历史地理学视域下的南海地区地图史与领土主权”(42071192)。
