殖民时期赞比亚铜带城镇中的“临时婚姻”问题探析

Temporary Marriage in Colonial Zambia’s Copperbelt Towns

19世纪末,欧洲殖民者对赞比亚传统社会中婚姻关系的干预,揭开了鼓励当地女性"解放"的序幕。随着铜带地区城镇化迅猛发展,大量女性涌入城镇。20世纪30年代,铜带城镇中的"临时婚姻"问题引起欧洲殖民者和非洲男性年长者的普遍忧虑。为了确保殖民统治的秩序与稳定,殖民当局先是采取立法措施,规范婚姻登记;二战后又推广女童教育等福利计划,联合新兴非洲精英阶层打造全新的文化规范,塑造理想化的婚姻和城镇女性。当局将"不受控制"的城镇女性当作一切城镇社会问题的根源,其稳定婚姻的措施即为重新"控制"女性;铜带的城镇女性也为追求和捍卫自身利益而采取了多种形式的反抗。

The intervention of Europeans in Zambian marital practices in the late 19 th century ignited the"emancipation"of women.Rapid urbanization of the Copperbelt region led to a massive influx of women into the new towns in the 1930 s.For the sake of stable housing,and decent life,a substantial share of migrant women lived in the towns temporarily with male partners in an undocumented marital relation.The problem of undocumented marriage caused widespread concerns among Colonial officials and African patriarchs.In order to maintain order and stability under colonial rule,the colonial authorities first took legislative actions to regulate the registration of marriages;after World War II,they promoted welfare programs,such as education of girls,uniting the emerging urban elite,to forge new cultural norms,and shape the new customs of idealized marriage among urban women,with the ultimate goal of controlling women’s mobility and sexuality.Facing with this series of"normative"measures,women in the Copperbelt towns responded by pursuing and defending their own interests in a variety of ways.