馬來西亞華人新村的社會與空間變遷研究─ 以拱橋新村為例

Abstract

社會和空間是互相辯證的關係。社會在生產特殊歷史和文化的空間時，空間也在建構與影響社會關係，包括政治、經濟和文化。由於創造空間的社會具有「非停滯」性質，所以本研究視社會與空間是一個動態過程，包括表現出「中心」與「邊緣」相互流動的現象。馬來西亞華人新村是英政府為了對付馬來亞共產黨而建立的居住聚落，早期具有監視與隔離的空間特色。本文希望透過研究個案─拱橋新村特殊的族裔地景，來探討不同族裔之間的階級流動 (社會)與空間隔離與排斥(空間)的相互流動關係。 我將在第二章分析英殖民時期不同政治權力，包括英政府及馬共與華人村民的互動，如何形塑新村的空間隔離特色。第三章則是聚焦在國家獨立之後，政府推行具有社會排除性質的新經濟政策，邊緣化華人族群及新村，村民透過跳飛機提升階級地位並且改變新村的空間景觀。在全球化的今天，越來越多勞工跨國流動他鄉。第四章將探討華人村民與外勞在互動的過程中，不停改變與置換他們在社會與空間裡的階級位置，並且造成排斥性的公共空間現象。同時，我也發現流行的文化與節慶活動是連結不同族群，並且形塑跨文化空間的契機。最後，本研究認為社會與空間裡流動的中心與邊緣過程，只發生在拱橋新村的下層階級，實際上華人族群依然處於國家發展的邊緣地帶。

My thesis analyzes the dynamic socio-spatial relationship in the transformation of the Kanthan Baru of Chinese New Villages in Malaysia. Based on qualitative research methods, I investigate the changing ethnoscape in the new village and how the physical forms embody segregation and exclusion between the mainstream Malaysians and marginal Chinese, as well as the new Asian immigrant works. First, I introduce how the British colonial government was battling with the communists in the rural Malaysia. Chinese New Village presented segregated and marginalized landscapes that mirrored British power. Second, I analyze how Chinese ethnic was marginalized by economy, culture, education and was “rejected” by the public servant under New Economy Policy (NEP). Chinese villagers of Kanthan Baru became illegal workers in oversea countries such as Britain, United States, Japan, in order to seek opportunity. Some of them succeeded in improving economic situations and thus transformed the landscape. In 1980s, industrialization of Kanthan Area was brought a large number of Asian immigrant workers from Indonesia, Nepal, Thailand, who relocated the Kanthan Area. Third, I investigate how the newcomers of Asian workers interact with Chinese villagers and how they have been negotiating new boundaries and transcultural spaces within these Chinese New Villages. By examining field data, I argue that built environments are not only the container of our society, but also the interactive processes that response to essential forces driving from socio-cultural, political and economic dimensions. In conclusion, I suppose changing of social mobility and spatial segregation/ exclusion are limited in lower classes, Chinese Malaysians are still marginality of the country.