埃及海外科普特人对母国的影响研究

A Study of the Influence of the Copts abroad from Egypt on their Native Country

科普特人是埃及最大的少数族群,也是中东最大的基督教群体。自20世纪50年代开始,在纳赛尔国有化经济政策和阿拉伯民族主义的影响下,科普特人开始向西方移民,并在埃及以外的国家和地区形成了规模较大的科普特离散社区。迄今为止,埃及海外科普特人呈现出亟待关注的群体性特征:从人口构成来看,主要以文化知识水平高、专业技术能力强的男性中产阶层为主;从离散目的地来看,大部分海外科普特人主要寄居在北美洲、澳大利亚和欧洲等国家,另有少部分在阿拉伯海湾国家和中国等地工作、生活;从离散方式来看,海外科普特人所到之处纷纷建立了科普特教会以维系身份认同和跨国联系;从离散类型来看,科普特人在国际迁徙中形成了文化政治型和经济交往型的离散群体。海外科普特人虽身居异国他乡,但对母国埃及各领域事务的关注、参与和影响从未停止,他们一方面通过侨汇、投资、慈善捐赠和旅游与埃及建立经济联系,另一方面通过政治游说参与埃及的政治活动。与此同时,海外科普特人通过社团组织向埃及社会输送新的思想观念,进而推动母国埃及公益慈善事业发展和社会文化的交流与更迭。

The Copts are the largest ethnic minority in Egypt and the largest Christian group in the Middle East.Since the beginning of the 1950s,under the influence of Nasser’s nationalized economic policies and Arab nationalism,the Copts began to emigrate to the West and formed relatively large Coptic diaspora communities in countries and regions outside Egypt.So far,the Copts abroad from Egypt have presented a group characteristics that needs urgent attention:from the perspective of population composition,they are mainly male middle class with high level of cultural knowledge and strong professional and technical capability;from the perspective of diaspora destinations,most of the overseas Copts mainly reside in North America,Australia and Europe countries,and a small number of them work and live in the Arab Gulf states and China;from the perspective of the way of diaspora,the Copts abroad have established Coptic churches wherever they go to maintain their identity and transnational ties;and from the perspective of diaspora types,the Copts have formed diaspora groups of cultural and political type and economic exchange type in their international migration.Although living in foreign countries,the overseas Copts have never ceased to pay attention to,participate in and influence the affairs in various fields of their native Egypt.On the one hand,they have established economic ties with Egypt through remittances,investments,charitable donations and tourism,and on the other hand,they have participated in Egyptian political activities through political lobbying.At the same time,the overseas Copts have sent new ideas and new concepts to Egyptian society through community organizations,so as to promote the development of public welfare and charity as well as social and cultural exchanges and changes in Egypt.