只願賊在，豈肯滅賊？明代湘西苗疆開發與邊牆修築之再認識

王朝國家通過軍事力量與教化策略在西南地區強勢拓殖，漢人移民的湧入，造成漢人排擠土著與土著的漢化或邊緣化，向來是解釋中國邊疆地區前近代發展的一個基本框架。本文圍繞著邊界的轉移、身分與族類的劃分、機制的運作與資源的分配討論明代苗疆的開發，認為大一統中國在邊遠地區的拓展，具有不同的層面與涵義。討論邊疆地區前近代的發展，必須將制度與機制的運作，身分與族類的劃分與資源的控制等，放入到具體的社會歷史情境下不同角色的動態參與中來加以考察。如此，則西南地區諸多制度條文與機制的設置等，既可能是王朝在邊疆社會建構其國家秩序的資源，亦可能成為了土司等若干土著勢力，在王朝拓殖的名號下實施擴張之輔佐。這樣一來，則已有的西南邊疆地區明代發展的模式及土司等土著大酋在其中所扮演的角色，或可顛覆。

關鍵字

湘西苗疆；邊界；族群；邊牆；土司

並列摘要

Previous studies on the Miao territory in western Hunan during the Ming dynasty argue that the establishment of military settlements (weisuo system) and frontier walls demonstrated the expansion of a strong state power. Because of the disposition of military forces in the frontier both to guard against rebellious Miao chieftains and to patrol the route connecting Yunnan and Guizhou, the native population in the Miao territory experienced a process of sinicization. This paper contends that as the imperial government extended its power, local influential natives likewise cultivated their control over the area. For local Miao chieftains, the maintenance of the administrative status of western Hunan as a so-called frontier was concerned mostly with the categories, legal status, and resources designed for the Miao ethnic group. This paper focuses on the reasons and mechanisms leading to sinicization. In western Hunan's case, the process of taming the ”barbarous” people was not equivalent to the process of transforming the frontier into a legitimate and administrative part of China proper.