才女“越界”、声望竞赛与明清江南社会运行

“Crossing Gender Boundaries” of Talented Women,Competition for Reputation and the Running of Jiangnan Regional Society During Ming and Qing Dynasities

明清江南社会出现了才女群体与男性士人交游的社会性别空间"越界"现象。与男性士人"越界"交往的才女群体得到了江南社会的容忍和鼓励。明清江南社会的声望竞赛是才女群体"越界"交往这一历史现象得以出现的关键。才女群体的个体才华,可以使得自身加入江南社会的文化网络,为家庭和男性士人赢得文化资本与社会资本,从而提升自身家庭与男性士人在江南社会中的声望,而通过才女群体婚后对社会性别空间秩序的遵守,才女"越界"交往仅被定义为生命周期中的阶段性事件,从而又保证了江南社会秩序的稳定运行。

During Ming and Qing dynasties, in Jiangnan regional society, groups of talented women and educated men traveled together defying the boundaries of gender space and becoming a phenomenon tolerated by the local society. This paper suggests that such behavior was encouraged because of the rising competition among families for prestige and reputation. The talent of individual women allowed them a chance to join the cultured network of their community, win cultural capital and social capital for their families, and to help their families and men in their families enhance their social status in the local society. However, upon marriage, the talented women resumed their respect of the traditional gender space and thus, helped continue the stable operation of the social order. Their brief defiance of the tradition was only accepted as a periodical event in their life cycle.