對吳哥建築雕刻的污名化及去污名化

Stigmatization and De-stigmatization of Angkor’s Architecture and Sculptures

吳哥帝國創造了很可觀的建築雕刻，吳哥寺及其周邊遺址業已被聯合國教科文組織列為世界遺產。然而數百年來它們常被中國人看輕，近代則常被歐洲人貶低，指其神秘莫測、匪夷所思、充滿了不可知之謎，其在15世紀後被世界遺忘，多虧外人遠渡重洋而至、在叢林裡「發現」了它們，才使其重見天日。本文分析上述對於吳哥遺址之偏見與污名化之說詞，指出那些說詞源自中華帝國霸權對周邊民族之貶抑、及近代的「歐洲中心論者」對邊陲文明之懷疑及否定。本文進一步為吳哥去污名化，說明吳哥的建築雕刻是歷代帝王為統治國家而興建的，亦即巨大恢弘的建築是用以呈現其宇宙觀，精緻細密的雕刻是用以崇拜神明及帝王。自20世紀中葉以來，污名化的現象已大幅改善；國內相關的研究不多，因此本文可作為日後繼續深化之基礎。

The Angkorian Empire created some of the most impressive architecture and sculptures, and Angkor Wat together with its surroundings have been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. However, over the centuries, they were often belittled by the Chinese, and in modern times by the Europeans, as mysterious, unimaginable, full of unknowable enigmas, forgotten by the world after the 15th century,“discovered”in the jungle and brought to light thanks to the Europeans in the 16th century. This essay analyzes the above-mentioned prejudice and stigmatization of Angkor, pointing out that they originate from the Chinese hegemony’s depreciation of neighboring peoples, and the doubts and denials of modern“Eurocentrism”towards the other civilizations. This essay further de-stigmatizes Angkor, explaining that the architecture and sculptures of Angkor were made by the emperors in order to rule the country; i.e., the huge and magnificent buildings were used to represent their views of the universe, and the exquisite and delicate sculptures were used to worship the gods and emperors. The stigmatization has been improved considerably since the mid-20th century. There is little research on this subject in this country, so this essay can serve as a basis for further research.