妈祖与明朝中期的倭寇危机：理论层面的探讨

Mazu and the Mid-Ming “Wokou”Crisis: A Theoretical Discussion

妈祖因支持善行和正义而享有盛名,人们谈论妈祖时,经常将她和官府联系在一起。但有史料记载表明,在明朝中期,海盗头领与走私商人也拜祭妈祖。显然,这些海盗头领即便是在从事朝廷禁止的违法活动时,也曾期待着获得妈祖的帮助。文中试图解释这种现象,并画了几张简单的图表,希望有助于理解国家与海盗集团之间错综复杂的关系。

Mazu is known for blessing good and righteous deeds, and people usu- ally associate her with the government. But historical records show that during the mid- Ming period, pirate leaders and smugglers also worshipped Mazu. Evidently, these leaders expected Mazu＇s help, even though they were engaged in illegal activities. The paper examines how we can explain these phenomena. It also provides some diagrams that may assist us in understanding the complex relationship between the state and pirate gangs.