Coping with the Cultural Revolution: Contesting Interpretations

關於文化大革命的解釋爭議－以創傷研究為角度

Susanne Weigelin-Schwiedrzik

《近代史研究所集刊》 61期 (2008/09) Pp. 97-154

https://doi.org/10.6353/BIMHAS.200809.0097

摘要

本文探討中國人民對待、處理文化大革命的公共過程。這番過程始於1976年，儘管有許多在中國國內或海外的人士宣稱在中國對於此事並沒有任何公開討論，然而若是貼近觀察自1976年以來的相關發展，實情恰恰相反。即使中國共產黨寧願讓文革日漸為人遺忘，但它仍是一個備受公眾爭論的主要議題。
本文針對關於文革議題的主要公共論辯作品進行分析，首先討論共產黨領導階層一意塑造文革紀憶框架，其方式是經由發動論戰批判「四人幫」，以及於1981年通過〈關於建國以來黨的若干歷史問題的決議〉。本文主張，共產黨雖經數度改變策略，但至今都仍無法成功宰控關於文革的公共記憶，儘管大部份由共產黨所出版的著作都弦烈批判文革是一場「十年動亂」，但是卻有一小部份人對於1966-1976年間發生的事抱持著較為肯定的觀點，且人數似有日漸增加的趨勢。這類觀點大多來自海外華人，並透過網際網路而公諸於世，儘管中國當局對於網路實行管控，這些觀點仍然得以藉此滲入中國國內的公共討論之中，並且影響了官方與非官方史學對於文革的看法。
本文以創傷修補過程作為切入角度，探討中國國內對於文革議題的公共論辮。在這過程中，受害者與加害者都企圖為受創的集體大眾重新界定其身分認同，以有助於修補早在文革初期即已遭群眾暴力破壞的社會結構。共產黨領導階層正是為了避免派系持續對立衝突，才不得不將文革界定為一場整體犯行，以此作為記憶框架。然而，這種策略不僅無法帶來和解，反而阻礙了創傷修補的過程，以致無法連到其目的。而這也正是聞於文革的論爭既是無所不在又似全然不存在的緣故：人們退縮而不願算清楚自己的歷史帳務，因而對此議題保持沈默；同時，公共討論雖仍持續，但至今仍不足以克服派系主義，以及提出可為廣大公眾接受的文革評價。共產黨既無力成功地讓人民都染上健忘症，也無法將其記憶框架強加於人民之上。這場公共論辯的參與者仍可繼續討論文革，不過他們的記憶是如此零碎，以致於目前他們只能質疑官方觀點，但卻無法以其他的記憶框架來取代它。這場創傷記憶的修補過程尚未結束。

關鍵字

文化大革命 ； 官方史學 ； 非官方史學 ； 創傷記憶

並列摘要

This article looks at the public process of dealing with the Cultural Revolution. This process began in 1976, and although many people inside and outside of China claim that there has been no public discussion of this event in the PRC, a closer look at events since 1976 reveals the contrary. The Cultural Revolution is indeed a major topic of public debate. even though the Chinese Communist Party would prefer for it to fall into oblivion.
This article analyses several major contributions to the public debate about the Cultural Revolution. It starts with a discussion of the attempt of the CCP leadership to frame the memory of the Cultural Revolution by launching the campaign to criticize the ”Gang of Four” and by passing the ”Resolution on Some Questions Concerning the History of the Party since the Founding of the PRC” in 1981. It argues that the CCP changed its strategies several times, but has been consistently unable to monopolize public memory of the Cultural Revolution. Although the majority of publications from the PRC strongly criticize the Cultural Revolution as ”ten years of chaos,” there seems to be a growing minority holding a more positive view of the period from 1966 to 1976. These views are mostly aired by overseas Chinese and are made known to the public in China through the Internet. Despite the control of the internet by PRC authorities, these views have permeated into the public discussion in the PRC and have influenced official as well as unofficial historiography of the Cultural Revolution.
This article discusses the public debate on the Cultural Revolution in the PRC in terms of a trauma process in which victims and victimizers aim at redefining an identity for the traumatized collective that would be instrumental in repairing the social fabric violated by mass violence during the early phase of the Cultural Revolution. It shows that the CCP leadership felt compelled to define a memory frame of overall complicity out of fear of continuous factional conflicts. However, instead of bringing about reconciliation, this strategy has impeded the process of working through trauma. That is why the debate on the Cultural Revolution is at the same time everywhere and nowhere. People shy away from settling their personal accounts and therefore keep silent on this issue; at the same time, a public discussion goes on but still has not reached the point where it can help to overcome factionalism and propose an assessment of the Cultural Revolution that can claim consensus. The Party is too weak either to create amnesia or to impose its memory frame on the people. The participants can drive the discussion on the Cultural Revolution onwards, but their memories are so fragmented that so far they can only contest the officially held view without replacing it by some other frame. The process of working through the trauma of the Cultural Revolution has not yet come to end.

並列關鍵字

Cultural Revolution ； official historiography ； unofficial historiography ； traumatic memory

參考文獻

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爭鳴：萬里上書籲重評毛澤東

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