摘要： 优绩主义是当代社会中的一种主导性话语，它的流行帮助个人性视角成为解释社会问题的主流，从而掩盖了社会不平等的结构性根源。配额制则是一种旨在提升弱势群体代表性的政策，作为一种公共政策工具，它对现实社会产生了结构性影响。同时，配额制也是一种具有深刻政治意涵的话语实践，它将结构性不平等问题置入公共话语领域，并赋予弱势群体话语权，从而促成针对社会不平等的话语变革。作为一种个人主义的社会发展原则，优绩主义及其实践本应带来结构性干预措施的瓦解，配额制也应随之退出历史舞台。但在许多国家，配额制成了当前政治斗争的焦点，表明优绩主义并未消除结构性不平等，甚至其流行重新激活了配额制。这是优绩主义的实践悖论。

关键词: 配额制, 优绩主义, 不平等, 个人, 结构性政治

Abstract: Meritocracy serves as a dominant discourse in contemporary society. Its popularity helps make the individualistic perspective the mainstream way to explain social issues, thus concealing the structural roots of social inequality. Quotas, as a policy aimed at increasing the representation of disadvantaged groups, have a structural impact on real-world society. Meanwhile, quotas are also a discursive practice with profound political implications. They bring the issue of structural inequality into the public discourse sphere and grant marginalized groups the right to speak, thereby promoting discursive changes regarding social inequality. As an individualistic principle of social development, meritocracy and its practice should theoretically bring about the collapse of any form of structural intervention measures, and quotas should also withdraw from the historical stage accordingly. However, in many countries, quotas have become the focus of current political struggles, indicating that meritocracy has not eliminated structural inequality. Even meritocracy itself has taken on a negative form of existence as an “anti-quota” stance. This is the practical paradox of meritocracy.

Key words: quotas, meritocracy, inequality, individual, structural politics