本文針對至今尚被“觀念丈"取向所支國己的中國思想史研究，提出一個批判的檢視。文中建議認真地對待後說代對當前史學的批判，並且轉向“文化史"，以之做為出路，將中國思想史整合入史為寬庚的，在帝制晚期的政治脈絡中，有關前現代中國社會與思想的討論杖。本文也討論了內滅在“本土主義"、“化約主義"、“目的論\"、“功能論\"，以及“太平洋邊緣地區研究\"手里的危險，這些是當今企世，界生活在後現代與後共產時代程的史學家，正在重新評估的方法論問題。最後，以作者對1780年到1820年今文經學常州學派的研究為例，說明當“觀念丈"的研究加入文化、社會和政治史之後，中國思想丈可以變得更為堂宮。

The article presents a critical view of present research in Chinese intellectual history， which has been dominated to date by the “historyof ideas" approach_ It suggests taking seriously the post modern critique of contemporary historiography and turning to“cultural history" as a way to integrate Chinese intellectual history into a broader discussion of premodern Chinese socitey and thought in a late imperial political context. The dangers inherent in“nativism"“reductionism，\"“teleology，\"“functionalism，\" and “PacificRim Studies" are discussed as methodological problems historians worldwide living in the post modern and post-communist era today are reevaluating_ Finally， the article gives an example from the author's research on the Ch'ang-chou School of New Text Confucianism from 1784 to 1820 to show how Chinese intellectual history can be enriched when cultural， social， and political history are added to the discussion of the “history"of ideas" .