一战华工历史论述的语境变迁与意义重建

Contextual Change and Reconstitution of Significance: Discourses on the History of Chinese Laborers in World War Ⅰ

论文探讨了在中国参战语境、社会革命语境以及当代改革开放语境下一战华工历史论述的形成过程及特定意义。百年来,中国围绕一战华工形成的论述分为两类:一类着眼于国家视角,着重从中国作为参战国与战胜国的角度展现中国在华工招募过程中发挥的主导性作用与华工扮演的参战角色;另一类立足于华工视角,最典型的是在社会革命语境下从华工作为帝国主义、军阀主义对立面的角度揭示英、日、法帝国主义与北洋军阀势力的压迫本质与华工的革命精神。当代改革开放语境下的华工论述似乎接续了中国参战语境下的华工论述。虽然同是立足于国家视角,但在当代改革开放语境下的论述更侧重展现华工在中国走向世界的历史进程中所发挥的作用以及中西文明交流的历史进程。尽管社会革命语境下的华工论述逐渐瓦解,但个体视角的论述依然不失为国家视角论述之外的另一个重要视角,二者之间的矛盾突显,是当前中国一战华工论述重建的困境所在。

Before China’s Reform and Opening-up,discussions on Chinese laborers during World War I have been dominated by two canonical discourses.One of them focuses on a Chinese nationalistic perspective,which in particular emphasizes China’s leading role in recruiting Chinese laborers and the combatant nature of Chinese laborers in the war.Being a narrative of the Chinese revolution,the other discourse centers around a perspective on Chinese laborers themselves,which gives weight to the oppressive nature of British,Japanese,French imperialism and the Beiyang Government,as well as the rebellious spirit of Chinese laborers.Recently,both of the two canons have waned,with discursive contexts changing rapidly.Nevertheless,the tension inherent between them still remains.This creates a predicament for reconstructing the discourse of the history of the WWI Chinese laborers,in which the process of China’s internationalization and Chinese laborer’contribution to it were both embedded.