教會權力與大陸鄉村社會──對華北某縣天主教會的考察 / 吳飛

撮要

本文試圖通過對華北一個天主教教區的個案調查,探討近年來民間天主教會組織內部形態的變遷以及與鄉村社會其他文化網絡的關係。對這一課題的關注是由於:1)鄉村社會中近年來隨著國家權力退出,民間基督教會組織正在迅速恢復和發展,但關於這些組織的個案研究還幾近空白。2)在當前大陸民間社會的整合過程中,民間基督教組織發揮著重要作用,但關於教會權力與其他社會權力體系,尤其是與政府權力體系之間的關係仍是一個「黑箱」。本文基於大量的田野工作成果,運用「權力的文化網絡」這一概念指出華北地區的民間天主教會已深深嵌入當地文化網絡之中,教會會長已成為新的民間精英,民間天主教教會與其他文化網絡之間,國家與社會之間一個新的中介。

 

ABSTRACT

Through a case study of a Catholic parish in Northern China, the article explores the relationship and interaction between rural Catholic churches and their surrounding social/cultural networks. For the political power of State in rural area has been declined in recent years, the church has developed rapidly and becomes an important social organization in some rural areas. This article, thus, is an attempt to fill the blank in studies of power relationship between church and other organizations in contemporary Chinese rural area. Basing on the observations from field work studies and using the concept “cultural networks of power” as analytical basis, the study finds the rural Catholic churches have been integrated with their surrounding culture networks. As a result, the leaders of parishioner in rural area become a new emerging rural-elite class and act as mediator between State and rural society.

原載於《建道學刊》9期(1998年1月),頁129-171。