| Bringing both historical and anthropological approaches to bear, this dissertation investigates why and how the Manchu state, together with the banner people, absorbed Chinese cultural elements in the development of banner people's kinship organizations in Qing China. It examines the Qing legal codes and official histories as well as the banner people's private works, in particular their genealogical records, to explore four different yet correlated family activities: the selection of clan heads, the inheritance of hereditary positions, the compilations of genealogical records, and the adoption of heirs. Acknowledging the incessant absorption by the Manchu state and the banner people of the concepts and practices explicitly identified with the Chinese culture; the dissertation contends that this absorption resulted from the Manchu state's desire to solve the problems in banner society, including the decline of the Manchu warrior spirit by being "stained by Chinese custom," the conflicts among the banner family or clan members over the inheritance of hereditary positions, the non-credibility of genealogical records compiled individually, and the financial difficulty in maintaining the Eight Banner system. Although the Manchu state's policies and efforts turned out to be ineffective in administering banner society, they did greatly contribute to arousing the banner people's pride in their own cultural traditions. |
