黄村收棺记:对一个南方村落传播文化实践的深描

Collecting Coffins:A Thick Description on the Practicing of Communication Culture in a Southern Chinese Village

本文试图通过展开一起农村棺木收缴事件,探讨农民信息行为背后的传播文化运转逻辑。通过考察事件中的信息流和村民的日常信息活动,本文发现基层组织的信息控制和村民的交往习惯共同形塑了事件的走向。一方面,当地村委营造了一元化的传播格局,藉由对政策信息的秘密化确立对事件的支配;另一方面,村民们虽然日常交往密切,但对其内容和功用持去政治化的保守态度,以致繁荣的人际交往未能生发出建设性的公共讨论。这种传播文化对基层治理而言有利有弊,但它对于地方的意义在于维系群体,成员们通过它与群体建立认同,获得与其他成员一致的生活方式。

This paper aims to discuss about the operation of communication culture underlying villagers'information behaviors by analyzing an event of collecting coffins in a southern Chinese village.The examination of information flows in the event and daily information activities of the villagers reveals that the village committee controlled the channels for policies and created an exclusive communication pattern at that time.Meanwhile,the villagers interacted frequently and intimately as usual,but they intentionally confined themselves to spreading factual information while avoiding exchanging their attitudes and decisions.Therefore,the flourishing interpersonal communication in the village failed to nourish a constructive public discussion.This culture has both advantages and disadvantages for grassroots governance,while its local significance lies in sustaining the community,through which one member establish identities with the group,arriving at a way of life that is consistent with that of other members.