留学的可知风险(1780~1880)：国家主义、国际主义与美国大学的起源

The Perceived Danger of Studying Abroad, 1780~1800：Nationalism, Internationalism, and the Origins of the American University

在美国从殖民地走向独立的过程中，政治领袖们常常将教育视为国家进步的工具之一。学校和学院成为培养国家认同感和民族统一的理想场所，教育的“功用”与对国家繁荣、安全、和谐的追求紧密结合。美国革命初期，民族领袖们就教育与国家发展提出了一系列提议。其中，他们着重考虑了国立大学的提议─即建立一所确保美国立足于世界开化国家之列的研究生教育机构。每一个关于国立大学的提案中都包含追求国家独立与清楚认识美国与欧洲的持续联系的深层矛盾。一些人认为欧洲能提供最好的高等教育机会，另一些人则警示国人有可能遭受来自海外的政治和学术“污染”。因此，美国独立战争后主要的矛盾就在于留学海外的可知风险。本文认为，1780~1800年间，阻止未来的领导者留学海外的希望是推动美国高等教育发展的主要动力。

In transition from colonialism to independence， political leaders often regard education as a tool of national development. Schools and colleges become favored sites for the cultivation of national identity and national unity; the “uses” of education become tightly interwoven with the pursuit of national prosperity， national security， and national harmony. In the wake of the American revolution， national leaders entertained a flurry of proposals concerning the use of education for national development. Among other plans， they reviewed proposals for national university-a post-graduate institution designed to secure the United States’ place among the enlightened nations of the world. Within each plan for a national university， however， lay a deep tension between the pursuit of national independence and an awareness of the United States’ continued dependence on European ties. Many held that Europe offered the best opportunities for advanced education; others cautioned that Americans risked political and intellectual “contamination” abroad. Indeed， a major dilemma facing American colleges after the revolution was the perceived danger of studying abroad. This paper argues that， between 1780 and 1800， the chief motive driving the development of American higher education was a desire to deter future leaders from studying overseas.