十九世紀美國聖公會女傳教士在華活動：女性特質的傳接抑或女性主義的導引？

American Episcopal Women Missionaries and Their Evangelical Work in Nineteenth-Century China: Transplanting Femininity or Proceeding to Feminism?

由於美國聖公會中國差會是基督新教自英國倫敦會馬禮遜在一八○七年入華傳教以來最早的九個新教傳教團體中的一個，同時，也是美國新教傳教團體最早前來中國開拓差傳事業的三個團體中的一個；因此，以美國聖公會女傳教士個人及集體個案，來解析由十九世紀跨入二十世紀時美國婦女經由宗教傳播，究竟在東、西雙方的女性世界中進行了何種實質對話，值得我們重視。藉由婦女差傳的途徑，女傳教士以教師、行政者、醫師、護士等不同角色，對中國社會，尤其是對中國社會中的婦女，在性別自主、性別倫理、性別自立上，究竟產生了正面的鼓舞或是負面的壓抑，值得推敲。對二十世紀初變動中的中國而言，婦女因素為基督宗教在華的差傳事業到底是發生了什麼作用。這些論題都值得身處今日全球化、國際化與地方化洪流中的我們正視。論文立論重心在闡述十九世紀聖公會女傳教士經由基督宗教所帶給她們所接觸的中國人民的，是當時美國社會經由宗教所孕育出的女性特質以及此種女性特質所轉化中的原模型女性主義。因此，經由女傳教士與中國女信徒的互動與宗教性別網絡，中國婦女的性別意識和性別空間逐漸突破原有儒家禮教的藩籬。隨著婦女差傳的軌跡，女傳教士對中國信徒與非信徒所進行的宗教傳播，不但將美國社會的女性特質傳接給中國人民，同時也導引邁入二十世紀的中國婦女，以十九世紀建構中的美國女性主義，來探索與形塑中國式的女性主義。放眼在基督宗教中國化或本色化的歷程中，美國聖公會女傳教士不但將女性特質傳接給中國婦女，也導引後者認識美國原模型的女性主義，並繼續在中國社會中發展中國式女性主義的元素。

This article presents women missionaries of the American Episcopal Church and their missionary endeavors in nineteenth-century China as a case in point. To discuss and explore the woman factor and its possible meaning in shaping the evangelical Protestant missionary enterprise on Mainland China, the author intends to make her arguments into four key parts. First, to the American people, what femininity, feminism and their characteristics were in the nineteenth century? Second, how did femininity and feminism mean to American women, and to what extent did they affect women's family and social lives from nineteenth century to the tum of the twentieth century? Third, as the Episcopal women were endeavored to convert the Chinese, especially Chinese women, to Christianity, did these women evangelists consciously or unconsciously transplant their conception of American femininity to their Chinese counterparts from their jobs as teacher, administrator, doctor and nurse? Fourth, in light of the intercultural dialogue through religion the Episcopal women had been devoted to, they actually presented themselves with different approaches to femininity as a gender model that led their Chinese sisters to develop their burgeoning feminism. By giving a clear definition on femininity and feminism, and discussing their possible meanings, the author maintains that what American Episcopal women missionaries had embraced was a Christian femininity and a precursory western feminism as proto-feminism when they started their evangelical work in China. After studying seventy-five missionaries and their correspondence to their mission board, the author contends that these Episcopal women did transplant their views on femininity and proto-feminism to China. The gender role that shaped and played by Christian missionary enterprise made it possible and capable for these women missionaries to manage their intimate\separate sphere and public sphere. Despite the fact that not all of them were successful in conducting their evangelical work, however, the Episcopal women missionaries did leave a legacy to the Chinese they were encountered. Therefore, the woman factor could not be ignored in missionary enterprise. It would empower the Chinese to pursue their self-fulfillment and independence in early twentieth-century China. Intentionally or unintentionally, it might be conceived as a heritage that Protestant missions through their female workers left to the Chinese after a century of endeavors.