「明治知識」與殖民地臺灣政治：「國民性」論述與1920年代前的同化政策

“Meiji Knowledge” and the Politics of Colonial Taiwan: The Discourse of “National Character” and the Policy of Assimilation before the 1920s

本文將近代日本在建構民族國家乃至帝國主義國家過程中發明與發展出來的知識稱為「明治知識」，並將從此觀點來理解「國民性」論述的出現與殖民地臺灣政治狀況的一個面相。首先，本文探討「國民性」、「國民精神」、「民族性」及「國民道德」等「明治知識」中表述特殊日本精神性質的類義概念群，如何在明治日本產生與運用的問題。然後，以1920年代前日本帝國在臺灣實施的「同化政策」為主，考察伊澤修二與後藤新平、田健治郎等日本帝國官僚如何理解和操作「國民性」概念群以進行統治。再者，探析日治時期臺灣知識分子如何理解、接受或抵抗「國民性」概念，主要檢討蔡培火（1889－1983）等《臺灣青年》相關知識分子之論述與思想。透過上述人物的檢討，本文意圖探究「近代西方知識」、「明治知識」、「江戶知識」與「中國漢學知識」間的類似與差異，及其交錯所構成的1910到20年代間殖民地臺灣的知識狀況。

This article highlights how Western concepts such as ＂Geist＂ or ＂national character＂ were translated into Japanese as kokuminsei (國民性) on the basis of Japanese Kangaku (漢學) during the Meiji period. Then, I examine how the discourse of kokuminsei applied to the policy of assimilation in colonial Taiwan before the 1920s. This research focuses on officials of the Japanese Empire who employed kokuminsei and related concepts in colonial Taiwan, including Isawa Shūji, Gotō Shinpei, and Den Kenjirō. This article also surveys Taiwanese intellectuals' understanding and application of kokuminsei and related concepts to construct their thought. I conclude that the spread of translations of modern Western knowledge from Japan into Taiwan was influenced by the Kangaku tradition and the notion of same-language-same-culture (doubun 同文), but the difference of social and languages contexts between Japan and Taiwan led to misunderstandings between Japanese officials and Taiwanese intellectuals. It is the resemblances and differences in terms of modern Western knowledge, ＂Meiji knowledge＂ (knowledge created during the Meiji era), and knowledge of Chinese Confucianism that made the layers of knowledge in colonial Taiwan highly complicated.