- 期刊
英國廢奴主義的延續－以香港反蓄婢運動為核心探討
The Continuation of British Abolitionism: Hong Kong's Anti-Mui-Tsai Movement
摘要
香港19世紀中葉的反蓄婢運動，可以說是英國的廢奴主義的延續。蓄婢又稱「妹仔」，是華人社會的制度。「妹仔」指的是被賣予富有家庭的女性。這些女性沒有自由、薪金和假期，她的人生是附屬於她的主人。反蓄婢運動發生於1919年至1929年。反蓄婢運動開始時最大的爭議在蓄婢是否奴隸。最先反蓄婢的是在香港的英國人希士活夫婦(Hazelwoods)，他們以為蓄婢是奴隸制。當他們回英國後，將這個問題帶回英國，引起英國國內要求廢除蓄婢。香港華人社會方面，認為蓄婢制行之有效。蓄婢制不但使窮苦家庭有一筆收入，亦令這些女性有存活的機會．香港的華人精英對廢除蓄婢感到不滿。他們以為只要將女性保護好便應繼續維持蓄婢制。港英政府被英國殖民地部多次要求廢除蓄婢，同時又害怕華人反彈，只好在1923年2月15日通過一條沒有實現時間的法案，直到1929年此條法例才真正實行。1842年英國接管香港，英國對其殖民地政策以經濟利益為主。19世紀中業以前，英國對香港華人社會是盡量不干預華人社會，反蓄婢運動是第一個英國政府主動界入香港事務。第一次世界大戰以後，英國極欲重申其帝國光榮，因而對華人社會中一些不合乎其的行為變得不能容忍，才逐步實現廢蓄婢。此篇文章希望借由反蓄婢運動來論述在不同背景的社會，對奴隸制的看法及廢除的想法。
並列摘要
In the middle nineteenth century, Hong Kong's anti-Mui-Tsai movement reflected renewed British support for abolitionism. Mui-Tsai was a Chinese system in which women were sold to rich families, working without freedom, pay, or holidays. The Anti-Mui-Tsai Movement occurred 1919-1929. The Hazelwood family was the first to call for the abolishment of Mui-Tsai, which they considered to be slavery. When they returned to Britain, they presented the problem to British society and initiated a movement to abolish Mui-Tsai. The contemporary Hong Kong Chinese community considered the Mui-Tsai system good for the women and their families. They believed that Mui-Tsai was feasible as long as the women were well-protected. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office commanded the British Hong Kong Government to abolish Mui-Tsai. The British Hong Kong Government, however, feared that Chinese elites in Hong Kong would protest, so they issued a bill abolishing Mui-Tsai on 15 February 1923, but there was no specific date of implementation. Hong Kong was acquired by Britain in 1842, and ruled with colonial policy based on economic interests. Prior to the middle nineteenth century, the British Hong Kong government did not want to intervene in the Hong Kong Chinese community. The British considered Mui-Tsai to be slavery. This was the first time that the British actively intervened in Hong Kong social affairs. However, after World War I, the British Empire was eager to reaffirm its imperial glory. As a consequence, customs that restricted freedom of thought, such as Mui-Tsai, became intolerable to the British Empire. In this context, this article will discuss varying social views on slavery.