英文摘要 |
"The present paper attempts to combine the research methods of history and criminology to investigate crime during the reign of the Tongzhi Emperor by using cases of theft in the archives of Ba county, Sichuan, from 1862 to 1875 as historical data for analysis. First of all, it has been found that three important historical events of the period, namely instances of harassment by remnants of the Taiping army in 1862, the“Zhenyuan真原Catholic Church Incident”which occurred in 1863, and the sharp rise in rice prices beginning in 1864, all directly affected the occurrence of theft cases. However, individual agency was not entirely affected by historical events. The second section of this paper analyzes the motivations of individual criminals. The majority of arrested criminals confessed that their motive was poverty and most of them came from the lower or working class. In addition, after rational consideration, they often organized into groups and systematically committed their crimes. Not everyone faced with poverty, of course, became a criminal as, perhaps most importantly, the presence of suitable unguarded targets provided opportunities, showing the importance of opportunity for thievery. Moreover, not all thieves were impoverished and tempting situational opportunities encountered within their daily lives likewise led to theft. The third section of this essay explores the complex processes of crime. Instances of“cat burglars”were far and few between as the main method involved damaging walls or doors and windows to gain entry. Other examples highlight that certain special occasions, such as temple festivals and weddings, also tended to attract thieves. Concerning the stolen items, clothing was in the majority, whereas gold and jewelry were rarely pilfered. Several channels existed for the disposal of stolen goods: in addition to pawn shops and local markets, there were fences, or movers, who specialized in the handling of the items. Finally, a“hidden hand”or mastermind led from behind the scenes, who not only helped to harbor criminals and sell stolen goods but was also likely to be the head of the criminal syndicate." |