走出弗里德曼宗族研究困境:从“分离说”到“配套说”

Beyond Freedman's Lineage Research Paradigm:From “Separation Theory”to “Matching Theory”

弗里德曼的宗族研究模式本质上是一种"分离说",表现出国家(上层)与地方社会(基层)之间、官方(官僚体制)与民间(宗族组织)之间的分离,不能完全解释中国传统宗族社会的现象,也不符合中国传统社会等级制度的根本特征。相较于"分离说",明清时期海南宗族社会的发展状况,体现出国家(上层)与地方社会(基层)之间、官方(官僚体制)与民间(宗族组织)之间的相互配套和双向互动,可以视为一种"配套说"。"配套说"超越了"分离说"以乡村宗族为主体社会结构的研究范式,将宗族置于不同层级的、与自上而下的官僚体系相匹配的结构体系中去,更符合中国传统社会结构的本质特征,也更有效解释中国宗族社会发展的实际情况。由此,对当前人类学研究与中国民间社会组织研究进行以下思考:在人类学研究上,需要重新反思其发展历程,加强向上研究,走出乡村,促进多学科合作研究;在中国民间社会组织研究上,需要走出西方理论和经验研究的局限,从中国二元社会的结构特质,理解官方社会与非官方社会的联系与互动对民间组织发展的重要意义。

Friedman's lineage research paradigm is essentially one of separation,that is,the separation of the state(upper classes)from the local communities(the grassroots),and the separation of the officialdom(bureaucratic system)from the folk organization(clan system).thus it fails to give a full explanation to the Chinese lineage society,and does not fit with the overall features of the traditional Chinese societal hierarchy.In contrast to what this theory tries to prove,the lineage society in Hainan in the Ming and Qing dynasties developed in a way that features a two-way interactions between the state(upper classes)and the local communities(the grassroots).and between the officialdom(the bureaucratic system)and the folk organizations(the lineage system).It is therefore more appropriate to describe such interactions with a “matching theory”,which transcends the limitations of the separation theory by shifting the focus of lineage research from its rural types to a more sophisticated structure that matches the vertical hierarchical system of the officialdom,so that it can fit well with the essential features of the traditional Chinese society and give a better explanation to what was happening in China's traditional lineage system.On this basis,it is necessary to rethink issues related to China's anthropological studies and studies on NGOs.In terms of anthropological study,efforts must be made to shift its focus upward,that is,to move from just rural studies but make its research multidisciplinary.In terms of studies on China's NGOs,there is a need for Chinese scholars to step out of the the limitations of Western theoretical and empirical framework to reach a better understanding of the connection and interaction between the world of officialdom and the world of folk culture in the development of NGOs on the basis of the structural characteristics of the Chinese society.