从“承中有变”到“变中有承”:透过婚礼实践看儒家伦理的地方化运行

From“Inheritance with Changes”to“Changes with Inheritance”:Localization of Confucian Ethics in Weddings

为了让儒家伦理及其现代化问题在社会学研究领域落地、展开,本文从“地方化”的研究视角出发,以浙北地区的礼俗人情实践(尤其是婚礼)为经验个案,着重讨论儒家伦理与当地礼俗人情生活的具体结合过程,探索其在浙北历史进程中的传承与变异情况。研究发现,延续至今的中式婚礼对儒家伦理的核心精神是“承中有变”,而新近兴起的新式婚礼则对其“变中有承”。两种情况在当地农村居民的礼俗人情生活中并存、并进,共同展现儒家伦理在地方化运行过程中的不同表达方式和复杂存在样态,也体现其在浙北地区的价值韧性和持久影响。当前,我们既要注重传统儒家伦理的创造转化以适应时代发展的问题,也要强化“谁”以及“如何”在地方社会转化与落实的问题。

From the research perspective of“localization”,this paper studies the practice of rituals and customs(especially weddings)in northern Zhejiang.The study focuses on combining Confucian ethics with local folk customs and social lives as well as inheriting and transiting Confucian ethics in the history of northern Zhejiang.We find that traditional weddings continuing to the present day inherit Confucian ethics with changes;by contrast,the emerging new weddings do not strictly conform to Confucian ethics but inherit some of its crucial values.“Inheritance with changes”and“changes with inheritance”coexist and progress in folk customs and social lives of local rural residents,jointly demonstrating the different ways of expression and complex patterns of existence of Confucian ethics in the process of localization,as well as its value resilience and enduring influence in northern Zhejiang.At present,we should not only focus on the creation and transformation of traditional Confucian ethics to adapt to modern society,but also answer the questions of who and how to transform and implement them.