Matten, Marc Andre: Die Grenzen des Chinesischen

　2004-06年に駒場で学んだマルク・マッテン君の博士論文がドイツでモノグラフとしてめでたく出版され，きょう駒場に届きました。巻末ビブリオを見る限り，テーマである中国ナショナリズムに関する日本語文献が数多く挙げられており，駒場での精進の成果がうかがえます。これだけ日本の近代中国研究の研究が活用されている研究書は，中国・欧米をあわせても稀ではないかと感じます。駒場図書館に寄贈しますので，ドイツ語に自信のある方，なくても興味のある方は，一度手にとってみて下さい。
　なお，マッテン君からはべつに「今年８月ドイツのエルランゲン大学からの知らせが来ました。現在、ここの中国研究所の準教授になりまして、中国現代史を担当します。」とのうれしい知らせが届きました。あわせて，かつての同学諸君にお伝えします。（村田雄二郎）

Matten, Marc Andre: Die Grenzen des Chinesischen – Nationale Identitätsstiftung im China des 20. Jahrhunderts (2009). Harrassowitz-Verlag; ausgezeichnet mit dem Martin-Behaim-Preis der Gesellschaft für Überseegeschichte e.V.

（以下，英語による要旨）
In my PhD dissertation, titled “The Borders of Being Chinese – the Creation of a Chinese National Identity at the Beginning of the 20th Century”, I trace the process by which an imperial identity of the late Qing was transformed into a national identity, thereby creating a collective consciousness that was both traditional and modern. An important aspect of my research was to find out how ethnic and racial identities could be made compatible with a national identity that claimed and still claims validity for a multiethnic state like today’s China.

To support my argument, I examined carefully the journals and revolutionary literature that were published by Chinese students in Japan after the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-95. In these writings, I find that although Han Chinese formulated ethnic and/or national identity in opposition against the Manchurian rulers, their definition of Chinese was based on traditional conceptions which were more imperial than national. Contrary to what Benedict Anderson and Ernest Hobsbawm have described in their studies on nationalism, the modern Chinese discourse on the nation is a continuation of, rather than a rupture from, tradition. This continuation of tradition is particularly clear in the creation of two national symbols: the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi) and the general Yue Fei of Song dynasty.

In the latter case for example, the historic figure Yue Fei fought the invading Jurchen tribe at the end of Southern Song dynasty (early 12th century). His failure due to a conspiracy at the imperial court and his untimely death made him a hero, worshipped in various temples. A detailed study of the local chronicles of these temples shows how the temple and his grave were constantly renovated and reconstructed during the Ming and Qing dynasties. During the Qing dynasty that was founded by foreign invaders, the Manchus, Yue Fei was worshipped in his temples for his loyalty and steadfastness. While the veneration of Yue Fei became increasingly popular in the antimanchurian struggle of Han-Chinese nationalists in early 20th century, it posed an enormous problem to the leaders of post-1911 China, who wanted to build a multi-ethnic nation-state that transcended Yue Fei’s narrow ethnic nationalism. In my dissertation, I demonstrate that the veneration of Yue Fei was possible in Republican China because it was based on the narrative and rhetorical strategies that had been developed by the Manchu rulers Yongzheng and Qianlong. Rather than a military general defending the invading Jurchen tribe, Yue Fei was remembered as a national hero who integrated various ethnic/racial groups into one unified political community. Through this discursive move, the Chinese leaders made Yue Fei a symbol of modern Chinese nationalism.