本稿的「近世」論，是根據宋代地方統治和地域意識研究所做的再檢討。一般而言，將宋代視為「近世」或其萌芽的依據，是科舉制度的整備與浸透，以及連帶的士人階層之成立。本稿著重於士人地域意識的確立，以及與之密切相關的地方統治。第一，有關地域研究，本稿敘述了日本、中國、台灣和歐美的研究動向與特徵。其次，舉出了若干2008年以降的共通傾向。例如，有人質疑宋代江南是地域形成先驅者的定說；亦有人提出反思，認為「地域」本身不一定非要以「中國」的框架來加以理解，等等。再者，本文也指出關於「地方統治」，儘管有從中央集權制度史和士人社會論兩方面出發的研究，但是，很少有研究採取將中央政府、地域士人兩者聯繫起來的視角。考慮以上內容，從而去檢討構成宋代「近世」要素的「地域」成立時，有必要去追問人們地域意識的形成與記憶的過程。具體而論：有必要通過地方志所顯示的治績，去弄清楚地域意識和地方統治的時代變遷，這是本文得出對未來研究的展望。

The exploration of the concept of ＂modernity＂ in this paper is based on a reexamination of local governance and regional consciousness in Song Dynasty China. Broadly speaking, the classification of the Song Dynasty as belonging to China's ＂modern＂ era, or at least the beginnings of that era, is justified on the grounds that it was during this era that the keju civil service examination system took firm root in China, leading to the emergence of a new scholar-gentry class. The present study focuses on the development of regional consciousness among the scholar-gentry, and on the question of local governance, which was closely linked to this sense of regional identity. Firstly, regarding the question of regional identity, this paper examines the main trends and characteristics displayed by the research on this topic that has been undertaken in Japan, China, Taiwan, Europe and North America. The study then proceeds to identify some of the common trends in this research that have emerged since 2008. For example, some scholars have begun to question the established theory that it was the Jiangnan region that led the way in the formation of regional identity during the Song Dynasty; others have suggested that the very concept of ＂region＂ itself does not necessarily have to be interpreted within the wider framework of a concept of ＂China.＂ The present study also notes that, while the issue of local governance has been addressed in terms of the history of the centralization of power and in terms of the emergence of a social structure dominated by the gentry class, very little research has been attempted from a perspective that recognizes the linkages between the central government and the local gentry. In light of the above, the present study proposes that any attempt to clarify the role played by the establishment of regional identity as a factor in the emergence of ＂modern China＂ in the Song Dynasty needs to consider the process by which people's sense of regional identity developed, and the related questions of memory. More specifically, there is a need for a detailed examination of the records of local governance included in Song Dynasty local gazetteers (difang zhi) to explore how local identity and local governance evolved over time; it is hoped that the present study will serve to encourage more research in this area in the future.