施叔青《三世人》中的殖民現代性與認同問題

Colonial Modernity and Identity Problems in Shih Shu-ching’s A Man Who Has Been through Three Ages

本文探討《三世人》中日本殖民現代性與台灣人的認同問題。我認為，《三世人》裡日本殖民主義與移植的現代性雙雙衝擊了台灣人，移植的現代性帶來新的世界觀、身體觀、知識體系，挑戰了傳統文化，而殖民主義則造成反日、親日與認同矛盾。由於現代性與日本性難以區分、差別待遇以及文化差異，小說中的人物常有認同曖昧矛盾。反日與親日各有其認同政治，但階級與性別議題使其更形複雜。小說人物在迎合與抗拒現代性之間，在反日與親日之間，展現了複雜的國族、階級、性別認同。《三世人》中的認同問題複雜涉及不同世代、階級、性別的台灣人對傳統文化、現代性、殖民主義所採取的不同立場之複雜光譜，這些立場之間有含混交纏之處，也可能有所變化、翻轉。

This article deals with how Shih Shu-chings A Man Who Has Been through Three Ages presents Japanese colonial modernity and Taiwanese identity problems. I argue that the novel depicts the great impact of Japanese colonialism and modernity project on the Taiwanese. While modernity challenges traditional culture by bringing a new worldview, a new body politic, a new cultural vision, and a new system of knowledge, colonialism triggers anti-Japan and pro-Japan stances as well as identity conflict. As a result of the blurring of modernity and Japanese-ness, the Japanese governments discriminatory practices, and cultural differences, characters in the novel often have ambiguous and split identity. Both anti-Japan and pro-Japan stances have their identity politics, which are further complicated by class and gender. As the characters oscillate between craving for and resisting modernity, between anti-Japan and pro-Japan stances, they display complex national, class, and gender identification. I contend that identity problems in the novel should be seen in relation to the complex spectrum of how the characters of different generations, classes, and genders view and respond to traditional culture, modernity, and colonialism. There may be entanglements and vacillations between these different stances, while some characters change or reverse their positions over time. Despite the differences, the Taiwanese in the novel have become neither the "pure Chinese" nor the "pure Japanese."