黑山会的故事:明清宦官政治与民间社会

关于明清时期宦官的研究 ,以往史学界多从政治史的角度入手 ,探讨宦官干政及其与皇权的关系。本文从黑山会这样一个宦官的祭祀组织出发 ,探讨他们塑造刚铁这样一个宦官祖神的意义 ,从新的角度理解宦官政治 ,并进而探索宦官与京师民间社会的关系 ,以及他们在宫廷与民间社会之间的中介角色

The Story of Heishanhui: Eunuch Politics and Popular Society during the Ming and Qing Dynasties

Most scholars who have studied the eunuchs of the MingQing period have adopted a political approach, and focused on their involvement in politics and their relationship with the rulers. In this article the authors look at the case of Heishanhui, a ceremonial organization of eunuchs, and examine the meaning of Gang Tie, the ancestral deity the eunuchs constructed for themselves. Such an inquiry helps us to understand eunuch politics, the relationship between eunuchs and society in the capital, and their role as a mediating link between the palace and ordinary society.