孔子与美国排华高峰期华人的认同建构——以美国主要报纸为例

Confucius and the Chinese Identity Construction in America during the Peak Years of Chinese Exclusion as Seen from the News Report of Leading American Newspapers

通过美国数家主要报纸相关报道的深入剖析,本文拟全面展现孔子与华人认同建构的普遍联系。从1882年排华法案通过到20世纪20年代,是美国历史上的排华高峰期。无处不在的歧视让在美华人陷入空前孤立,华人强化群体认同以彰显自己的存在变得尤为迫切,延续和强化孔子的文化核心地位成为极为关键的内部凝聚手段和群体外部特征,围绕孔子而产生的向心力是美国华人能够在排华高峰的逆境中生存下来的根本保证之一。

Americas Chinese exclusion reached its peak in the years from the passage of the Exclusion Act in 1882 to the 1920s.Ubiquitous prejudices heightened the necessity for Chinese residents to publicize their identity and existence while trapping them in the unprecedented isolation.Among the many strategies of Chinese identity construction,sustaining and reinforcing the cultural centrality of Confucius turned out to be one of the most crucial ones.Chinese elites and intellectualls were engaged in fierce debates with those Confucius-degraders,trying to prove the superiority of Chinese beliefs and buck the tide of white American debasement of Chinese tradition.Extensive coverage of the above activities in leading American newspapers testified to the success of Chinese efforts to ensure group cohesiveness and identity,a success which partially guaranteed the survival of Chinese community through the harshest years of exclusion.