由沈家本到謝冠生──對清末新政以來司法史（1901-1971）的再思考

本文呼籲重新思考晚清修律以來法律史研究的重要意義，並對如何研究20世紀中國法律發展的整體進程與意義提供建言。筆者主張以「人」為中心，重新書寫20世紀頭70年（1901－1971）的司法史，並將致力於解釋一種新的研究進路：即在以沈家本為中心的由晚清修律到民初裁判變遷的近代法律史研究（以李貴連、黃源盛為代表）之外，通過解讀民國政治領袖（如蔣介石）與司法領袖（如民國任職最久的司法院長居正、民國任職最久的司法行政部長謝冠生）的日記，建構並擴展以人為中心的民國法律史書寫。畢竟，對於民國政治領袖如蔣介石日記（1915－1972）與司法院長如居正日記（1945－1951）、曾任大陸地區司法行政部長、臺灣地區司法院院長的謝冠生日記（1933－1971）的整理與研究，會為從整體上理解民國司法史，提供一種更可依賴的內部視角。因此，我們需要注意研究日記中的法律史，討論司法改革所涉及到隱含的政治決策過程，並理解制度以及改革政策究竟是如何形成的。

關鍵字

七十年變法；蔣介石日記；居正日記；謝冠生日記； 20世紀中期法律史

並列摘要

This article's main purpose is to invite discussion on a person-centered approach to assess the Chinese legal history of the 20th century. To be more specific, building upon the recent studies of legal changes during the late Qing and the Republic of China that have focused on the figure of Shen Jiaben 沈家本, this article interprets the diary entries of political leaders (such as Chiang Kai-shek 蔣介石) and of the highest judicial leadership (such as Ju Zheng 居正, the longest-serving President of the Judicial Yuan 司法院; and Xie Guansheng 謝冠生, who was both the longest-serving Minister of Judicial Administration in mainland China, and then the longest-serving President of the Judicial Yuan in Taiwan). The voluminous and long-running nature of these diaries opens a new vantage point for legal historians to understand and analyze the dynamics underlying the wide array of major decisions and policy formation that determined the course of judicial reform in the mid-20th century. Therewith, this article invites more scholarly attention to the seven decades of China-centered legal history (1901-1971) and to the handwritten diary entries which have not been available to researchers until very recently.