社會調查是社會學的看家本領。事實上，作為東海大學前身十三所教會大學之一，燕京大學的社會系就以注重社會調查著稱，往後更被譽為「燕京學派」。大名鼎鼎的費孝通，當年就是燕大社會系的學生。值得注意的是，對燕京學派來說社會調查不只是一套科學的研究方法，更是回應宏觀歷史變遷的深刻社會實踐。燕京學派積極學習西方人文社會科學的同時，還投注大量精力研究中國社會的基礎構造和文明性格，並且提倡社區研究方法，奠定了往後中國鄉村研究的重要基礎。在近代中國驚心動魄的漫長實踐中，知識份子與西方人文社會科學知識之間必定產生一種充滿創造性的張力，不得不反覆質問對中國這樣的古老文明而言，「現代化」究竟意指為何？其中，如何理解鄉村問題更成為眾所爭執的焦點。不論是在中國社會性質論戰、鄉村建設運動還是社會主義革命之中，改革者都是藉由重新定義中國鄉村問題而導引出不同的實踐道路。經常被遺忘的是，毛澤東本人就親自率領了數次社會調查，甚至主張「沒有調查就沒有發言權」，以此警惕盲目的教條主義，從而將中國革命的希望繫於農村與農民。歷史的曲折在於，費孝通雖然不同意中國共產黨的社會分析，當初仍然留在北京協助社會建設，豈料日後慘遭無情批鬥與冷凍。獲得平反以後，費孝通復出率領社會調查，為改革開放的中國社會提出許多重要論述，成為一代知識份子的典範。

勾勒東海大學與燕京學派一縷不絕的淵源，目的在於重新召喚以知識回應歷史變遷的責任與熱情。在台灣社會學發展的過程中，尤其每當涉及社會科學本土化的爭論，常常都能聽到復興社會調查的呼聲：不單是為了搜索研究題材和實證資料，而且渴望在理論、歷史與田野的激盪之中重建我們時代的問題意識。這才是米爾斯所謂「社會學想像」的真義：唯有串聯個人煩惱與公共議題，我們才能理解自己究竟如何參與在一個更大的歷史過程之中，藉此重新定位自己的位置與使命。社會調查的價值不在於印證或否證西方社會科學的理論命題，而在於刺激能夠回應歷史變遷的問題意識。我們必須意識到西方社會科學理論也是西方知識份子回應自己歷史問題的產物，從而在世界史的尺度下把西方社會科學知識當作具啟發性的參照，藉此理清我們社會的特殊處境，才有機會真正建立起學術的自主性，否則很容易陷入高承恕老師所謂的：「終究我們還是停留在問別人的問題，批判別人的困境。」可惜的是，到目前為止我們還未能建立屬於台灣社會學的社會調查傳統。

其實地上本沒有路，走的人多了，也便成了路。本課程的核心目標，是希望帶領同學重新閱讀一系列鄉村研究與社會調查的經典著作，嘗試回應下列問題：台灣社會是怎樣的社會？台灣的鄉村是怎樣的鄉村？具有怎樣的歷史、社會、文化與經濟特質？出路在哪裡？尋回鄉村之眼，有助於重構社會與歷史的聯繫，從長時段的視野展望未來。歷史尚未終結，社會學應當永遠精彩。

Social investigation is the specialty of sociology. In fact, as one of the thirteen Christian universities that was the predecessor of Tunghai University, the Department of Sociology of Yenching University was famous for its emphasis on social investigation, and was later known as the "Yenching School." The famous Fei Xiaotong was a student in the Department of Sociology at Yanda. It is worth noting that for the Yenching School, social investigation is not only a set of scientific research methods, but also a profound social practice that responds to macro-historical changes. While actively studying Western humanities and social sciences, the Yenching School also devoted a lot of energy to studying the basic structure and civilized character of Chinese society, and advocated community research methods, laying an important foundation for future research on rural China. In the thrilling and long practice of modern China, a creative tension must have arisen between intellectuals and Western humanities and social science knowledge. We have to repeatedly ask what "modernization" means for an ancient civilization like China. Among them, how to understand rural issues has become a focus of debate. Whether in the debate on the nature of Chinese society, the rural construction movement, or the socialist revolution, reformers have led different practical paths by redefining China's rural issues. What is often forgotten is that Mao Zedong himself led several social investigations, and even advocated that "without investigation, there is no right to speak" to guard against blind dogmatism, thus tying the hope of the Chinese revolution to the countryside and farmers. The twist of history is that although Fei Xiaotong did not agree with the social analysis of the Chinese Communist Party, he still stayed in Beijing to assist in social construction. Unexpectedly, he was mercilessly criticized and frozen in the future. After being rehabilitated, Fei Xiaotong returned to lead the social investigation, put forward many important discussions for the reform and opening up of Chinese society, and became a model for a generation of intellectuals.

The purpose of outlining the inexhaustible origins of Tunghai University and the Yenching School is to rekindle the responsibility and enthusiasm to respond to historical changes with knowledge. In the development of sociology in Taiwan, especially when it comes to debates about the localization of social sciences, we can often hear the call to revive social inquiry: not only to search for research topics and empirical data, but also to rebuild the problem consciousness of our era amidst the excitement of theory, history, and field. This is the true meaning of Mills' so-called "sociological imagination": only by connecting personal worries and public issues can we understand how we participate in a larger historical process, and thereby reposition our position and mission. The value of social surveys does not lie in confirming or refuting theoretical propositions of Western social sciences, but in stimulating problem awareness that can respond to historical changes. We must realize that Western social science theories are also the product of Western intellectuals' response to their own historical problems, so that we can use Western social science knowledge as an enlightening reference on the scale of world history to clarify the special situation of our society. Only then can we have the opportunity to truly Establish academic autonomy, otherwise it will be easy to fall into what teacher Gao Chengshu calls: "In the end, we still stop at asking other people's questions and criticizing other people's plights." Unfortunately, so far we have not been able to establish a social investigation tradition belonging to Taiwanese sociology.

In fact, there is no road on the ground, but when there are more people walking on it, it becomes a road. The core goal of this course is to lead students to re-read a series of classic works on rural studies and social surveys, and try to answer the following questions: What kind of society is Taiwanese society? What kind of countryside is Taiwan’s countryside like? What historical, social, cultural and economic characteristics does it have? Where is the way out? Recovering the eyes of the countryside will help reconstruct the connection between society and history, and look forward to the future from a long-term perspective. History is not over yet, and sociology should always be exciting.

費孝通，2012，《江村經濟》。北京：北京大學出版社。
黃宗智，1994，《中國研究的規範認識危機：論社會經濟史中的悖論現象》。香港：牛津大學出版社。
柯志明，2006，《米糖相剋：日本殖民主義下臺灣的發展與從屬》。台北：群學。
葛伯納，1979，《小龍村：蛻變中的台灣農村》。台北：聯經。
楊弘任，2014，《社區如何動起來？：黑珍珠之鄉的派系、在地師傅與社區總體營造》。新北市：群學。

Fei Xiaotong, 2012, "Jiangcun Economy". Beijing: Peking University Press.
Huang Zongzhi, 1994, "The Crisis of Normative Understanding in China Studies: On the Paradoxical Phenomenon in Social and Economic History". Hong Kong: Oxford University Press.
Ke Zhiming, 2006, "Rice and sugar are in conflict: Taiwan's development and subordination under Japanese colonialism". Taipei: Qunxue.
Gerbner, 1979, "Xiaolong Village: Rural Taiwan in Transformation." Taipei: Lianjing.
Yang Hongren, 2014, "How to mobilize communities?" : Factions, local masters and overall community creation in the Black Pearl Village. New Taipei City: Qunxue.