清末至日治初期來臺西方人建構的臺灣知識──以李仙得與達飛聲為中心

Abstract

臺灣開港之後，眾多西方人因經商、傳教、公務、研究等不同目的來到臺灣。來臺西方人運用交遊網絡克服種種障礙，至臺灣各地旅行；旅行踏查是重要的知識來源，交遊網絡則讓他們能夠順利成行。來臺西方人留下大量記錄，建構有關臺灣的種種知識。本研究運用這些來臺西方人的書寫，討論開港前後至日治初期來臺西方人建構的臺灣知識，分析他們運用的知識生產機制，及其知識內涵的形成與變遷。 本研究的主要材料是李仙得（Charles W. Le Gendre）一八七○年代寫成的《臺灣紀行》（Notes of Travel in Formosa），以及達飛聲（James W. Davidson）一九○三年出版的《福爾摩沙島的過去與現在》（The Island of Formosa, Past and Present）。李仙得是美國駐廈門領事，因羅發號事件多次來臺，之後在牡丹社事件中為日本規畫出兵臺灣事宜。李仙得活躍於東亞，不只熟悉臺灣，也力圖以其知識發揮影響，應可作為本研究合適的切入點。達飛聲初以戰地記者身分來臺，之後任職美國駐臺領事，歷時八年寫成《福爾摩沙島的過去與現在》一書，集當時臺灣知識之大成。透過《臺灣紀行》、《福爾摩沙島的過去與現在》以及相關著作，可看出臺灣開港前後至日治初期西方人對臺灣的認識。 論文第一章介紹在臺西方人社群及其著作概況。第二章討論李仙得等來臺西方人如何透過旅行踏查獲取知識，並從博物學、族群關係、臺灣主權等面向討論其知識內涵。第三章探討一八八○年代以後形成的臺灣知識，呈現臺灣知識的形成與變遷，最後討論清朝、西方、日本在知識生產上的互動，反省臺灣知識背後「文明」與「開發」的眼光。

When the treaty ports in Taiwan opened in the 1860s, many Westerners arrived as merchants, missionaries, officials, or researchers. Using resources from networking, Westerners traveled to places under and beyond Qing control and published abundant works about Taiwan. Travel was an important source of knowledge, and networking enabled their travels. This thesis uses Westerners’ writings about Taiwan to explore the knowledge about Taiwan constructed by Westerners in Taiwan from the 1860s to the 1900s, analyzes the mechanism employed for knowledge production, and presents the formation and changes of their knowledge. The major materials include Charles Le Gendre’s Notes of Travel in Formosa, completed in the 1870s, and James Davidson’s The Island of Formosa, Past and Present, published in 1903. Le Gendre (1830-1899), American Consul at Amoy, made frequent visits to Taiwan to settle the 1867 Rover Incident and later assisted Japan in the 1874 expedition to Taiwan. Not only was he familiar with Taiwan, he also sought to influence the politics of East Asia with his knowledge, serving as a good entry point for observation of knowledge construction. James Davidson (1872-1933), a war correspondent and later American Consul in Taiwan, spent eight years to compose The Island of Formosa, a work representing complete knowledge about Taiwan in his time. These two books, together with other relevant works, allow us to grasp Westerners’ understanding of Taiwan from the 1860s to the 1900s. Chapter 1 presents a general introduction to the Western communities in Taiwan and their publications. Chapter 2 analyzes Notes of Travel in Formosa to see how Westerners acquired knowledge through travel and how they understood Taiwan from the aspects of natural history, ethnic relations and sovereignty. Chapter 3 explores the knowledge about Taiwan developed in the 1880s and beyond to illustrate the formation and changes of Westerners’ knowledge about Taiwan. The final discussion on the interaction of Qing, the West and Japan seeks to reflect on the viewpoints of civilization and cultivation in the construction of knowledge about Taiwan.