為了將來的過去

我經常同學生講：了解過去，並非為了預測將來的世界，而是豐富我們對未來的想像。換而言之，讀歷史的人，看到的將來應該是越來越寬闊的。近讀John Tosh的Why History Matters有以下的段落，我非常認同：

「The least contentious application of historical reasoning lies in the recognition of the past as an almost limitless experiential resource. The range of activity, mentality and reflection uncovered from the past societies goes far beyond what could be imagined using only the resources of the contemporary world. This record of human creativity is an important part of our armoury for facing the future. It seldom affords a basis for prediction, but it feeds the imagination about the potential for alternatives in the future. It is also a powerful antidote to any notion of a predestined path.」(p. 7)

在刻下的香港讀到這段文字，有一種安慰的感覺，簡而言之，就是讀歷史的人，不甘於認命，唔好同我講什麼「接受現實」，因為所有的現實都有其歷史條件，而未來的現實如何，又在於我們現在採取什麼行動，歷史沒有劇本，甚至可以說，我們行動的原因，正正是抗拒某些人（或政權）為我們安排好了劇本和角色。

越跟村民做口述歷史，越討厭什麼由上而下的規劃。在「大歷史」的敘述中，人彷彿是某些政策的受惠者，但在大眾的回憶中，歷史其實是由很多生活的細節組成、是人與人互動的成果，政府的出現其實是在破壞一些生活的痕跡。所以，我們跟民眾做訪談，是以一種社會回憶抵抗大歷史的論述：

「Collective memory is at the cutting edge of cultural history because of the insight it provides into the historical consciousness of ordinary people; shared memory comprises a repertoire images of the past, adjust over time to reflect changing circumstances and changing social values. In so far as identity history articulates a body of social memory, it reinforces certain community values...」(p. 17)

「Proximity and distance are constantly in contention as we focus on the past; as Simon Schama has put it, ' all history is a negotiation between familiarity and strangeness'. But the negotiation generally comes down on the side of strangeness. The effect of the passage of time has been to detach us ever more completely from the world of our forebears - from their material circumstances, their social arrangements, their culture and their common sense.」(p. 27)

「public history refers to historical work carried out in the community, always out of fascination with the past, and sometimes as an assertion of ownership over the past, through oral history, family history and other community projects.」(p. 100)

上述幾段文字，或許能反映我的心聲：
1. 面對著現代化的生活態度，經歷過農村生活的人如何詮釋這些回憶？（例如：一位村民跟我和學生說，以前好辛苦，但很懷念，好掛住以前的生活），學生聽到這裡，如何理解這種辛苦的甜蜜？這些社會回憶（和背後的價值）如何傳承下去？
2. 歷史是一個「異國」，但當我們一腳踏進異國的時候，反而對自己的家鄉（現實世界）有更深的反思和認識。這種passage of time的意識是反思的起點。
3. 如果說，口述歷史其實是要重奪過去的話語權，自己歷史自己講！