中國少數民族地區的田野調查——以壯族較集中的廣西德保縣為例
戴忠沛
香港大學教育學院助理教授

當「我者」遇上「他者」，我們總傾向以「我者」的角度審視「他者」。如何能夠突破這個侷限？田野調查讓我們儘量融入「他者」，發現「他者」的世界，以「他者」的角度重新審視議題。在少數民族研究裏，田野調查是常用的研究方法。本次講座即以壯族方塊文字和詩歌研究為例，介紹在壯族較集中的廣西德保縣進行田野調查的經歷，包括如何規劃研究主題、怎樣聯絡田野合作人、如何記錄田野資料、有哪些禁忌和注意事項。透過田野調查，我們解釋了為甚麼方塊壯字文獻幾乎全部是詩歌體裁，也解釋了為甚麼壯族詩歌會按照七言律詩格式押韻。田野調查不單能帶來新的知識，還帶來了友誼和難忘的回憶，其中培養的個人素質，對日後從事各種工作皆甚有益處。


Field studies in ethnic minority regions of China: with illustration from Debao County of Guangxi, an area with a high concentration of the Zhuang people
Tai Chung-pui
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong

When the “I” meets the “other”, we tend to look at the “other” from the viewpoint of the “I”. How can we break through this limitation? Field studies allow us to integrate into the “other” as much as possible, discover the world of the “other”, and re-examine issues from the viewpoint of the “other”. Field studies are a common research method in the research of ethnic minorities. This talk will share the experience of conducting fieldwork in Debao County of Guangxi, where the Zhuang people are concentrated. We will take the studies of Zhuang character writing and its poetry as examples to illustrate how to plan a research topic, contact field informers, record field information, and the dos and don’ts. Through the field studies, we explained why almost all Zhuang character manuscripts are in the genre of poetry. We also explained why the Zhuang poetry rhymes according to the Han Chinese seven-character regulated verse rhyme scheme. The fieldwork brought not only new knowledge but also friendships and unforgettable memories. The qualities developed in the fieldwork will be beneficial for works of all kinds in the future.