2014-03-26

孤魂的在地化:有應公廟與臺灣社會地緣意識之轉變

陳緯華。〈孤魂的在地化:有應公廟與臺灣社會地緣意識之轉變〉。《民俗曲藝》183 (2014.3): 253-338
Chen Wei-hua. “The Localization of Orphan Ghosts: The Youyinggong Temples and Changes in Geo-Consciousness of Taiwan Society.” Journal of Chinese Ritual, Theatre and Folklore 183 (2014.3): 253-338.

Abstract

本文指出,從清代到當代,有應公廟經歷了兩次的轉型,第一次是孤魂的「在地化」,第二次是孤魂的「神格化」,這兩次轉型都反映了臺灣社會重要的社會變遷,極具研究價值,而本文所討論的是第一次轉型。透過歷史資料的耙梳輔以田野資料的調查,本文首先從儀式象徵的轉變來定義有應公廟的轉型,指認出第一次轉型的存在。在對這些儀式象徵進行分析後,本文認為清代無祀祠祭祀的內涵比較以「可憫╱撫慰」為特徵,日治之後的無祀祠祭祀則突出了「陰報╱求應」的特色。這一轉變的關鍵在於清代無祀祠祭祀中的孤魂有着鮮明的「期望返鄉」的意象,而日治之後有應公廟中的孤魂則不再有這種返鄉意象,亦即相對而言日治後有應公廟所奉祀的孤魂具有「在地化」的特質,本文稱之為「孤魂的在地化」。本文認為孤魂的在地化現象所蘊含的社會意義值得我們加以探討,本文透過對儀式象徵的掌握來對此現象進行意義的詮釋,認為其背後所反映的是整體社會氛圍的轉變,進入日治之後人們不再感覺「社會上的其他人」有着明顯的以大陸祖籍為落葉歸根之處的返鄉意識。這代表了整體社會中人與地方之間關係的變化,是臺灣社會在地緣意識上的一個重要轉變。本文最後認為孤魂崇拜並非臺灣獨有,不同地方漢人移民社會孤魂崇拜的不同發展,可能都反映了各地漢人移民社會特殊的社會結構與社會心理變遷,值得我們進行比較性研究。
The Youyinggong temples in Taiwan underwent two transformations from Qing dynasty to contemporary Taiwan, namely the localization and the deification of orphan ghosts. Both reflect significant social changes in society that are worthy of investigation. Based on historical documents and field investigation, I will define the first transformation from the perspective of ritual symbolism, hence confirm its existence. The characteristics of orphan ghost worship in Qing dynasty lies in its nature to “sympathize with/pacify” the orphan ghosts, while during the Japanese Colonial rule, the worship highlights the “yin responsive/wish-granting” aspect. A critical point of this transformation is that the image of the orphan ghosts in Qing dynasty demonstrates a strong intent to “go home.” That image, however, is absent in the image of orphan ghosts in Youyinggong temples built after the Japanese Colonial years. This is what I called “the localization of orphan ghosts.” I apply ritual symbolism to this phenomenon to offer a meaningful interpretation. I argue that the entire social atmosphere in the Japanese Colonial era had altered so that people no longer considered that the “others” in society still longed for returning to mainland China. This change in social and communal relationships indicates a significant transformation in geo-consciousness in Taiwan. There are also orphan ghosts worship elsewhere in other ethnic-Han immigrant societies. Their differences possibly reflect changes in particular social structure or psychology that merit comparative studies.