清代臺灣的庄規與社會秩序──以三重埔的溪尾庄規為例

Abstract

在清代臺灣的「淡新檔案」中，可以看到許多因鄉村社會「失序」而進入司法程序的案件，失序指的是鄉村社會中本有約定成俗的習慣，當習慣被破壞後，鄉村社會只好尋求官府的介入。不過，本文感興趣的並非司法程序中的審訊，而是進入到司法程序前，鄉村社會中「失序」的秩序，究竟指涉什麼？為了瞭解此問題，本文以庄規為觀察重點，因為庄規是地方頭人維持社會秩序的手段之一，且是特定空間內，特定群體的生活規範，這個空間的範圍以一或數個街庄為限，說明庄規正好是鄉村社會中一種明確的秩序。本文擬望藉由庄規討論臺灣鄉村，是如何在官府的法律制度架構下，建立起鄉村社會秩序的維持方式，這套秩序並非「單向」的接收規範，而是社會自發性地，依據自身面臨的環境，凝聚的社會共識，最後才完成庄規的建立。以溪尾庄為個案討論，是因為溪尾庄規的三個特色，第一，反應鄉村社會既有傳統。第二，鄉村社會的自主性。第三，跳脫既有的保甲體系。藉由溪尾庄規觀察清代臺灣在19世紀晚期，如何因應外在形勢變化制定符合自身需求規定。

In the “Dan-Xin Archives” from the Qing Dynasty in Taiwan, there were several trial cases that entered the judicial process due to the “disorders” in the rural societies. Disorder refers to the customed conventional rules of rural society. When the custom is broken, the rural society seeks intervention from the local authority. However, the main interest of the current research focuses not on the trials in the judicial process, but the state of “disorder” before the judicial process, what does “disorder” meant in rural society? To explore this question, this study puts its emphasis on observing the Zhang-Gui, since the regulations are one of the means for the local chiefs to maintain social order, and it is the daily guidelines for specific groups in a specific space. The scope of these spaces includes one or several villages (jie zhung), indicating that the Zhang-Gui serve as a definite order in the rural society.This research intends to discuss how Taiwan’s villages establish a way to maintain rural social order within the framework of the local authority’s legal system. This set of orders do not function as a “one-way” acceptance criterion, but on a social spontaneous circumstance. The Zhang-Gui are finalized according to the external environment, and the consensus gathered in the society.

Xi-Wei Zhuang was chosen as the focal case, due to its three characteristics. First, because of the three characteristics of Xi-Wei Zhuang rules. First, it reflects the existing traditions of rural society. Second, the autonomy of rural society. Third, it breaks away from the existing protection system (bao-jia system). Through examining the Xi-Wei Zhang-Gui, this study observes how a village formulated regulations that met its own needs in response to changes in the external situation during the Qing Dynasty in Taiwan.