互惠实践中的礼物变迁——基于辽宁省Y村礼物货币化的人类学考察

Changes of Gifts in Reciprocal Practice——An Anthropological Investigation Based on Gift Monetization in Village Y of Liaoning Province

近年来,中国乡村社会在人情礼往中,逐渐出现了以礼金取代实物的趋势。一些研究者倾向于将这种“礼物货币化”现象视为“人情异化”,并加以批判。这类观点造成了对中国乡村礼物经济体系的误解。事实上,货币化礼物早在先秦时期就已存在,且不少实物礼品亦需用货币购买。本文通过对辽宁省Y村礼物货币化现象的田野调查发现,当原有的礼物形式不再适应社会需要时,就会被实践主体抛弃。大多数实物礼品的消失,根本原因在于其不再适应社会的需要,丧失了原有的社会功能。礼物的情意表达,是由礼物的稀缺性、具体文化情境、双方社会关系等因素共同决定的,与礼物的外在形式是货币还是实物无关。因而不能因为礼物货币化,就忽视其所包含的人情价值。

In recent years,there has been a trend of replacing in-kind gifts with gift money in Renqing(interpersonal relationship)in China’s rural society.Some researchers tend to criticize this phenomenon of“gift monetization”as“alienation of interpersonal relationship”.Such views lead to a misunderstanding of the gift economy system in China’s countryside.In fact,gifts money existed as early as the pre-Qin period,and many in-kind gifts also need to be purchased with money.Through the field investigation on the phenomenon of gift monetization in village Y in Liaoning Province,this paper finds that when the original gift forms no longer meet the needs of the society,they will be abandoned by the practice subjects.The fundamental reason for the disappearance of most in-kind gifts is that they no longer meet the needs of society and lose their original social functions.The affection expression of gifts is determined by their scarcity,the specific cultural context,the social relationship between the two parties,etc.,and has nothing to do with their currency or in-kind forms.Therefore,we should not ignore the value of interpersonal relationship contained in gifts because of the monetization.