吧国公堂华人丧葬管理研究——以《塚地簿》为中心

The Funeral Management of the Gongtang (The Chinese Council in Batavia):——An Analysis Based on the Funeral Archives

论文利用吧国公堂《塚地簿》档案,回顾了吧城华人塚地的发展轨迹,分析了吧国华人丧葬管理机制和吧国公堂丧葬管理的特点,以及19世纪中期以后公堂丧葬管理面临的问题、管理职能的丧失。认为19世纪中期以前,面对数量不断增长的华人,统治力量尚薄弱的荷兰殖民政府给予华人社会一定的自治权,这种自治权就体现在公堂对华人婚姻、丧葬、教育、宗教、社会福利等诸多事务的自主管理。公堂的管理为促进华人社会的稳定与发展及维护荷兰殖民统治做出重要贡献。但到19世纪中后期,随着荷兰殖民统治力量的增强,华人社会的自治权被削弱,加上华人社会新风气的兴起,公堂的管理举措难以与发展变化的社会现实相衔接,其管理职能的丧失是历史的必然。

Based on the Funeral Archives from Gongtang in Batavia, this paper reviews the historic trajectory of Chinese cemetery in Batavia, then analyzes the mechanism and characteristics of funeral management of Gongtang(The Chinese Council in Batavia). It also discusses the problems which the Gongtang funeral management faced with and its loss of such management function after the middle of the 19 th century. The paper concludes that, before the middle of the 19 th century, due to an increasing number of Chinese immigrants, Dutch colonial government, which has relatively weak ruling power, had to give a certain level of autonomy to the Chinese society, and such autonomy was reflected in the Gongtang's independent management on several affairs such as marriage, funeral, education, religion, social welfare, etc. The management of Gongtang has made an important contribution to the stability and development of Chinese society and maintenance of Dutch colonial ruling. However, after the middle of the 19 th century, due to the increasing of the Dutch colonial ruling power,the autonomy of Chinese community has been weakened. Along with the rise of new social ethos in Chinese society, the Gongtang's management was difficult to follow the development and changes of social reality, the loss of its management functions is historically inevitable.