记忆中的华人移民:解构既定的苦力移民形象 = Deconstructing the coolie stereotype: exploring the authenticity and manipulation behind Chinese immigration in Southeast Asia

Abstract

本文重新审视了 19 世纪中叶至 20 世纪初期间，学术界、文学领域乃至主流媒体 对华人移民到东南亚的单一化历史叙述，以致于契约劳工、压迫、剥削及虐待等同质 化的标签被普遍地冠在当时的华人移民上，从而加剧外界对华人移民的刻板印象。在 这类主流叙事中，所有华人移民都在非自愿的情况下被诱骗、拐卖陷身成为“契约劳 工”，并在移民过程中遭遇坎坷与艰辛的旅程。本文认为，这种固化的叙述趋势是学 者、作家们在使用相关指代移民群体的术语时未加以区分，混淆使用“契约劳工”、 “猪仔”及“苦力”等术语的结果。此外，受到西方帝国主义侵华中心论及在国家历 史认知影响下，“苦力劳工”形象由此被刻意放大。对此，本文将结合华人移民到东 南亚的复杂经历，以更多元化、多变的视角来理解华人移民群体。本研究的主旨在于梳理学术、文学和主流媒体如何将华人移民纳入契约劳工叙述 的过程，进而揭示主流趋势对华人移民群像的影响。同时，从殖民地政府报告和口述 历史还原华人移民的真实情况，由此佐证华人移民到海外的经历并不像主流叙述中所 描绘的那样惨烈。

This article re-examines the monolithic historical narratives in academia, literature, and mainstream media regarding Chinese immigrants to Southeast Asia from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century. These narratives have often stereotyped Chinese immigrants with homogeneous labels such as contract laborers, oppression, exploitation, and abuse, thereby reinforcing common stereotypes. Mainstream accounts tend to portray the immigrants as having been deceived and sold into “contract labour” under involuntary circumstances, and facing a challenging and arduous journey during the migration process. This article argues that this prevailing narrative trend was a result of scholars and writers conflating the terms like ‘contract laborers’, ‘coolies’, and ‘piglets’, thereby failing to accurately differentiate between various immigrant groups. Moreover, influenced by the Western imperialist discourse and the national historical consciousness, the image of “coolie labourers” was deliberately amplified. Therefore, this article aims to deconstruct and understand the Chinese immigrant experience from more diverse and nuanced perspectives, acknowledging the complexity of their experiences in Southeast Asia. The primary purpose of this study is to trace how academia, literature, and mainstream media have shaped the narrative of Chinese immigrants as contract labourers, revealing the impact of mainstream trends on their portrayal. By examining colonial government reports and oral histories, the article aims to the true circumstances of Chinese immigrants, providing evidences that their overseas experiences were not entirely tragic, contrary to the mainstream depictions.