澳洲中國學家費約翰,探討19世紀末到20世紀初期,中國與澳洲的身分認同以及建構過程。不同於美國、歐洲、日本的中國知識學界,澳洲作為大英帝國的殖民地,面對華人的移民,害怕再度成為亞洲的殖民地。在澳洲這種認同的不確定之下,其建國過程伴隨著白澳政策的實施,並以科學人種學來論述中國。另一方面,由於華人在澳洲的歷史背景,也使得費約翰重新反思中國與澳洲的關係,利用中國傳統儒家的背景,探索中國建國及其現代身分認同的形成過程。本篇論文旨在介紹費約翰學者的研究及其貢獻,並將其放置在澳洲當前的中國研究發展及趨勢上。
Australian Sinologist John Fitzgerald has published numerous publications that link the quest for equality and dignity amongst Chinese Australians in the 19th century to the quest for nationhood in modern China. This unique connection has provided the possibility of a different research agenda on China that is not available in those other communities, such as Europe, Japan or North America, which never experienced in the kind of White Australia policy that reflected fear toward re-colonization by the yellow race. In addition, Fitzgerald has specifically thought about the identity of Australia in the production of knowledge concerning Asia and the Confucian ethics which constituted the modern China as well. The paper introduces Fitzgerald’s major research propositions and discusses their implications to the development of an Australian sinology.