Identity Conversion From Settlers To Masters:a Study On Settlers Of Minority Region In The Southwest Of Guizhou Province During The Qing Dynasty

This dissertation makes a research on the settler in the southwest of Guizhou province at Qing Dynasty. Through the analysis of identity conversion process of the settler turning from "uncivilized people" to "civilized people", finally, turning from settler to master, it makes a research on the ethnic regional evolution caused by the intervention of state power, and then reveals the interactive relations between settler and region, changing relations between identity conversion of settler and social order, and it also brings out the thoughts on the research of regional social history.About the development of the settler in the southwest of Guizhou province at Qing Dynasty, it can be divided into four periods to observe. First, at the late Ming and early Qing Dynasty, the settler in the southwest of Guizhou province was mainly caused by the government; Second, at the Kangxi(康熙)and Qianlong(乾隆)period, affected by the policy, spontaneous immigrants poured into the southwest of Guizhou province; at the Jiaqing(嘉庆)and Daoguang(道光)period, the spontaneous migrants were gradually to the direction of settlement, and they lived in a state of fellow villager or the same surname, then the settler reached its peak; Fourth, after the Xianfeng(咸丰)and Tongzhi(同治)periods, the transformation of settler identity and social status resulted in the changing of the original social order and the reconstruction of the new social order.With the process of settlement, there were the scramble for interest resources between the settler and the aboriginal people and the transformation of corporate values. As the settler increasing, the phenomenon that the settler was strong and the aboriginal people was weak, and native was repeatedly infringed, appeared everywhere in the southwest of Guizhou province. And then it produced a social conflict using a domicile of origin as the standards dividing each other. This conflict was reinforced and lasted because both sides were close, and became complicated because identity transformed between both sides. As the affection worsening and the enmity growing, eventually hatred and hate which had accumulated in indigenous people’ heart for a long time led to a large-scale conflict or fighting. On the other hand, because of the dying population, there was some untouched field which attracted the new immigrants to reclaim, but there was internal tension between scarce land, poor geographical characteristics and traditional living pattern, at the same time with the ecological environment getting worse, conflict between the ethnic groups, and between the settler and the aboriginal people was intensified.In nation opinion, the settler as a group was free from uncivilized people to civilized people, the attitude of Qing dynasty for the settler was wandering between the encouragement and restriction, but every settler hoped to change from uncivilized people to civilized people, and to be a people who had a national identity. Whatever immigrants came spontaneously or were organized by government, immigrants always used different ways to relate their identity with the legitimacy of the dynasty, and consciously or unconsciously maintained national orthodox order. In settler’s heart, orthodoxy of dynasty was the "census register" and "the social and political values of Confucianism, Such as "loyal, filial piety and righteousness", all these orthodoxy symbols became resources of the settlers, which made the settlers continue from generation to generation, consolidate its status and control the local society. Aboriginal people were dynasty legal residents, but they were still "uncivilized nation" in dynasty views, the government not only enhanced preparedness, but also bewared of the conflict caused by the settlers’ infringe. Indigenous people also hoped themself to be into the dynasty orthodoxy, to become "civilized people" as Han people, but because of the various differences of cultural mental, emotional and habits between different nationalities, it was hard to immerse themselves in the settler society, so there was always a certain estrangement and contradictions between each other.The government often coped with social order changes through the administrative division, placename indoctrination, local Bao jia system(保甲制度),and Tusi(土司)had its own ways, that was Jia ting system(甲亭制度),to stabilize and develop its presidial place, two systems run parallelly until the early years of the republic of China. After complete abolition of Tusi, Jia ting system was basically replaced by Bao jia system. Local officials in the southwest of Guizhou province followed the example of "Thoughts of Wang Yangming" during the middle and late Qing dynasty, through setting of village convenance to regulate people’s behavior, to reshape dynasty social order. Indoctrination effect was not ideal not because "indoctrination" but the vague "boundary".Through constantly adjusting administrative divisions, government and local government changed the past three bureaucratic systems co-governance to local administration mainly to system of states and county, rationalized the subordinate relations of the government at various levels, and through solving disputes of provincial boundaries and states county in the province and solving problems of Chahua area(插花地),government and local government solved administrative jurisdiction "blind spots"by the geographical territory, and so all administrative measures created the conditions to reorganize the local social order.From the interactive relations between regional society of the southwest of Guizhou province and political interaction, it was proved to be fail to strengthen local governance, even the Qing government dedicated to do it. On the contrary, it caused a series nation-shaking political events, such as Nanlong rebellion(南笼叛乱),Moslem rebellion. The Qing government eventually put down the rebellion, meanwhile a number of local elites appeared. The Liu clan was just good at using the Qing imperial’s state institutions, and just good at using local strategies,and so it rose and dominated the local region, successfully achieved the changing of settler identity and social status.