近來「客家」成為台灣文化研究中的焦點,但多在既有歷史框架和意識結構的領域內書寫客家,並在理所當然的「客家意象(hakka images)」下衍申論述,使客家論述處在套設的族群疆界中,客家文化就在這些框架中被討論。本文將從刻板的客家印象開始,思考客家族群想像的歷史脈絡,並以經驗調查資料分析民間的客家意象,最後探索發現或發明甚至重新建構客家意象的可能。一般關於「客家」一詞的理解與研究,不脫源流與血統爭辯,族群特性之褒貶,以及客家美食、山歌採茶戲或清一色的農村生活與古老農具等以代表客家文化,然而這些刻板印象需被深入凝視與檢討。客家意象常藉由各式象徵的文化符碼來形塑,它除了作為一種認識客家的工具外,更是詮釋與建構客家的來源,但是將客家意象與客家文化間劃上等號實為過份類化或以偏蓋全。客家人的歷史牽涉到詮釋權,而在歷史脈絡下書寫與建構的客家意象已成為客家族群想像與集體記憶的認同焦點,並可能藉由社會結構與媒體傳播而重複強化。本研究針對竹苗十五個客家鄉鎮進行問卷調查,經歸納分類受訪者所想像的客家文化,發現受訪者的客家意象大同小異,進一步以族群、身份與年齡變項分析,卻發現不同類別群體中呈現微妙變化,這對客家文化的闡述與未來發展頗具意義﹒普遍一致的客家意象也許能為客家文化的未來指引方向,但反思客家文化,應被跳脫框架來詮釋傳統或進一步發明傳統, 轉化成為有利的資本,希冀對客家文化的發展提供更寬廣的創意空間,藉形塑新的客家意象以作為客家邊界重建與創新的利基。
”Hakka” has been the focus of recent cultural research in Taiwan, but it is often discussed in a fixed historical framework or under a certain structure of consciousness. Hakka images, filled with symbolic and cultural codes, seem to be the only cognitive tool available to explore the Hakka culture, but either the dispute over the origin of Hakka people or the stereotype of Hakka cuisine and folk songs presents the essence of this ethnic group in recent Hakka research. The images can be easily reinforced or distorted by the mass media and then be pillars of the Hakka cultural identity. The purpose of this essay is to analyze the development of popular Hakka images in the history context and the distortion from mass medium or education, to break up the stereotypes of Hakka in many people's mind, and to find the possibility of Hakka images through reconstruction and ethnic imagination. The experiential survey conducted some popular Hakka images from respondents of different ages and ethnic groups in 15 Hakka villages in Hsinchu County and Miaoli County. There are some stereotyped images of Hakka, as expected, but after elaborate analysis, some subtle distinctions of Hakka images show among respondents of different background. The findings may contribute to understanding and development of Hakka culture, in a way that encourage deviation from the traditional boundary of Hakka research and push the invention of tradition of Hakka culture and the reconstruction of new images to be cultural capitals.