人際交往中的禮物象徵意義：華人新年春節與西方聖誕節

The Symbolic Meaning of Gifts in Interpersonal Communication: Chinese New Year and Western Christmas

郭俊偉(Jeffrey J. Guo)

《文化越界》 1卷7期 (2012/03) Pp. 147-173

https://doi.org/10.30405/CCS.201203_1(7).0007

摘要

本文目的主要探討西方與華人社會最重要節日的社會鑲嵌性，分析禮物在新年春節與聖誕節所代表的人際溝通意涵。文中採用質性方法，包括文獻調查法、比較法以及詮釋法，並由哈伯瑪斯（Jürgen Habermas）溝通理性作為演繹途徑的理論基礎。主要結果發現到：（1）節慶的深層意義是鑲嵌在整體文化脈絡中，讓思想基底演變成一種逐漸發展式的文明建構：（2）由禮物交換或贈送，發現西方（質性禮物）與華人（量化禮物）社會具有顯著的傳統文化差異：（3）禮物是人際交往是否存續的重要依據，是否合乎文化禮儀，取決於個體主義與集體主義脈絡中的形式象徵。本文重新檢視禮物的價值在所謂「想像共同體」中，所扮演的中介角色。運用新的方法與觀點，藉由交換或贈送禮物，這樣的人際互動方式，再現傳統節慶新的思維，描繪出不同文化中的禮物模式。

關鍵字

節慶禮物價值 ； 理性溝通 ； 人際距離 ； 華人新年春節與西方聖誕節 ； 深層文化差異

並列摘要

The purpose of this paper focuses on social embedment from the most important festivals of the Western and Chinese society to analyze implications of gifts, the representation of interpersonal communication in Chinese New Year and Christmas. This paper applies qualitative combination, including literature survey, comparative and hermeneutic methods to connect with the rational communicative theory of Jürgen Habermas as the scientific deductive approach. The main findings are as follows: (1) the deep meaning of holidays is embedded in the cultural context, making foundation of thought into gradual developing civil construction; (2) from gift exchange and giving, there are significant traditional culture differences between the Western (qualitative gifts) and the Chinese (quantitative gifts); (3) a gift is essential evidence in subsisting of interpersonal communication; the compliance with the cultural etiquette, depending on forms of cultural symbol in the context of individualism and collectivism. This paper reviews the value and the intermediary roles of gifts in what is so-called ”imagined community.” Using new methods and perspectives to discuss gift exchange or giving; such interpersonal interaction represents the new thinking for traditional festivals and describe the gift mode in different cultures.

並列關鍵字

The Value of Gifts in Holidays ； Rational Communication ； Interpersonal Distance ； Chinese New Year and Western Christmas ； Deep Cultural Gaps