无名有分:从明清徽州家谱看妾的形象

Responsibility without Status: Image of Concubine from the Perspective of Huizhou Genealogy in Ming and Qing Dynasties

明清之际徽人纳妾颇为盛行,不仅方志中记载了大量的节妾传记,在数以千计的家谱中也能找到妾的身影。从法律制度和经济权利来看,妾在家庭中的地位较低,在夫亡之后,她们多会苦节终生并担起延续家庭的责任。这种行为,迎合了地方官府和宗族进行有效治理的需要,也提升了妾在地方社会和宗族的地位,受到褒奖而被载入家谱。

Concubinage was very popular in Huizhou during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Not only were there a number of concubinage biographies in local records, but also concubines could be found in thousands of genealogies. From the point of view of legal system and economic rights, concubines had a lower status in the family. If their husbands died, they often worked hard for life to take the responsibilities of the continuation of the family. This phenomenon met the need of effective governance by local governments and clans, and it elevated the status of concubines in local society and clans. As a result, these concubines were praised and often listed in the genealogies.