人情与圈子:清代地方手工业同行的结社和竞争

Renqing and the Circle:Association and Competition of Handicraft Peers in the Local Market of Qing Dynasty

“行会的性质及其如何运行”是中西方历史学与社会学共同关注的重要学术问题。本文引入圈子理论和人情概念,重新分析了清代地方手工业结社史料,认为传统同行结社与西欧行会不同,其本质是以人情互动建立的同行圈子。同行结社缘起于多元混合的情感动力,通过伦理联合建设完成形制化,制定以人情为核心而非以产品和技术为标准的行规,最终成为同行圈子。圈子行规整体改造了地方同行竞争和秩序,他们团结一致,共同占有和分享地方市场;设置人情圈子门槛,保护圈子秩序,排斥威胁;彼此进行均等监督,在圈子行规中追求经营利益。讨论同行结社的圈子本质对理解当下行业经济社会现象具有新启发。

What the nature of the guild is and how it runs have always been important academic issues that Chinese and Western history and sociology have paid attention to.Based on the Circle Theory and renqing concepts,the historical materials of handicraft in the Qing Dynasty have been re-analyzed and discussed.It is believed that the essence of local handicraft peers'associations is a Circle constructed by local handcraft peers'renqing interaction,which is different from the guild of Western Europe.In order to occupy jointly and share equally the local market,the peers'Circle establishes the local handicraft regulations.So local handicraftsmen unite together and supervise each other.They set the threshold for joining the Circle by renqing instead of handicraft technology.Meanwhile,they jointly protect the Circle's order and exclude threats from inside and outside.The local handicraft peers'Circle dominates the operation of local handicraft regulations and shapes the competition,conflicts and order among handicraft peers in the local market.The discussion of the local handicraft peers'Circle of Qing Dynasty can also bring new inspiration to the economic and social research of contemporary China.