城市、商人与宗族——以民国时期汕头市联宗组织为研究对象

City,Merchant and Clan:A Case Study of Joint Clan in Shantou during the Republic of China

本文试图以20世纪前30年广东省汕头市的3个联宗组织为研究对象,通过这些组织祠堂建筑、族产设立和使用、族谱编撰的事实,来理解时代、地域和宗族创建人对宗族形态的影响。认为:一、在这一时期汕头的联宗活动中,商人起了非常重要的作用。这与汕头开埠后的商业发达、竞争激烈密切相关。联宗的目的是为了借助宗族的力量,提高竞争力,获取更大利益。二、这些联宗组织,跟明代以后发生的联宗比较,在形态上并无多少新创制。值得注意的反而是,几乎所有创建人都希图通过族谱的修纂,建立如同"实体性"宗族那样有等差的秩序,强调尊卑大小的观念,而否定联宗组织本然的"权利对等"的"民主"因素。这可以解释为:这一时期汕头出现的联宗组织又是对时代思潮冲击的反弹。

A case study of three joint clans in the port of Shantou in the first three decades of the 20^(th) century reveals the impacts of the times,locality and clan founders on clan patterns in terms of ancestral temple,clan property and pedigree compilation.The author concludes:(1) merchants played a very important role in organizing a joint clan to enhance their competitiveness for profit by dint of clan power;(2) almost all of joint clan founders attempted to build up a gradation order like that in the substantive clan denying natural democracy of joint clan.So,joint clan could also be seen as a rebound to trend of thought at that time.