民间信仰与区域社会:以明清时期东昌府为中心的考察

Folk Religion and Regional Society:An Investigation Centered on Dongchang Prefecture During the Ming and Qing Dynasties

民间信仰与上层建筑和民众生活息息相关,是观察中国古代社会的重要视角。明清时期东昌府境内民间信仰种类众多,分布广泛。按照职能和属性,主要分为通祀神灵、灾害信仰、水神信仰、行业神、地方土神和先贤名宦信仰五大类。运河的流经及当地特殊的地理环境和历史文化使其民间信仰呈现出显著的地域特色,其主要表现是水神信仰的盛行、商人商帮的参与以及名目繁多的乡土神灵。民间信仰对区域社会治理和民众日常生活产生了深刻影响,成为运河区域社会变迁的重要表现。

Folk religion and superstructure is closely related to people＇s lives, which makes it an important research perspective of observing ancient Chinese society. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there were many types of folk religion within Dongchang Prefecture？ which were widely distributed. According to function and attribute, they are mainly divided into five categories： universal worship of gods, religion of disaster, religion of water gods, religion of profession gods as well as religion of local gods, sages and famous officials. Access to flowing canal and special local geographical environment, history and culture make the folk religion show a significant regional characteristic, main performances of which include the prevalence of water gods, the participation of businessmen or business groups and numerous local gods. Folk religion has a profound impact on governance of regional society and people＇s daily life, and become an important manifestation of social changes in the canal regions.