宋代乡土社会的民治路径探赜——以民间争讼的规制为考察视角

A Study on the Path of the Civil Autonomy in Rural Society in the Song Dynasty——From the Perspective of the Regulation of Civil Litigation

在宋代,以宗族尊长、士绅、富民及乡役人为代表的精英群体是乡土社会民间自治的主力军,其所开展的治理实践具有“德主法辅”的属性。手执宗法权威的宗族尊长利用家法族规教化族众、调解族内纷争并开展宗族司法;居乡士绅与富民凭借文化财力优势换取治理乡土社会的政治权力,以创办乡约、兴办学校和主持调解等方式淳厚乡里风俗;“庶人在官者”的乡役人是民治与官治互通的主渠道,他们在职权范围内调解乡土纠纷,同时协助官府化解和消弭争讼。

In the Song Dynasty,the elite groups represented by patriarchs,gentries,rich people and rural servicemen are the main force of civil autonomy in rural society.Patriarchs holding patriarchal authority use family laws to educate the clan,mediate disputes,and carry out clan justice;rural gentries and the rich people exchange the political power to govern the local society by virtue of their cultural and financial advantages,and enrich the local customs by establishing village conventions,setting up schools,and conducting mediation.The rural servicemen are the main media for the communication between the government and the countryside.They mediate the rural disputes within the scope of their authority and help the government to eliminate and resolve disputes.