| By the case study of Luoshui Village in Ninglang of Yunnan, this dissertation intends to research the development tendency of walk marriage in the areas surrounding Lugu Lake in contemporary times. As a unique cultural phenomenon, Mosou culture has been a hotspot of research in the field of ethnology and sociology, and there have been a great many of academic papers and treatises concerning the different aspects of Mosou culture. Some give a detailed description of its politics, economy, religion, marriage, funeral, and folk-custom, etc. Some others analyze and study in-depth a certain aspect of the culture like gender, family structure, social function, and also the development of its tourism with different focus in different periods of time(See the following part). In the new century, the theory and paradigm of ethnology have changed. Therefore, the study of Mosuo culture and its walk marriage also needs redefining, relocating, and re-probing. Under new historical context, by introducing new paradigm, namely, the paradigm of poetic anthropology, mythology and the theory featured in free-style and liberation of personality, this dissertation abandons the mechanical analysis method of functionalism and materialization of cultural industry, and attempts to analyze Mosuo culture and its walk marriage to discover the poetics during the interaction of Western and Chinese culture, and to restore the poetic life. Also this dissertation ventures to change the traditional pattern of analyzing cultural heritage which aims to turn it into cultural capital and then develop it as tourism resource, and to adopt a method to study the cultural change in the past 30 years of Mosuo village so as to re-think about the modernism.During the worldwide cultural interaction, ethnology and anthropology as humanities care much about the identification of different culture. However, what is more important is probing into the specific culture. This is the responsibility of anthropologists. American anthropologist Robert Murphy says in his book Culture & Social Anthropology An Overture that when two or more societies come into direct and constant contact, the flow of culture comes into being and that culture always flows from the strong to the weak under almost circumstances. This is exactly the case in Mosuo society. But at the same time, he also says that it's not completely one-direction movement. Tobacco was introduced into Europe but that doesn't do Europeans much good. But potato and corn were also introduced into Europe, which benefit Europeans a lot. Indeed, in the process of civilization, there are plenty of cases in which margin saves the center and the weak triumphs over the strong. To re-probe Mosuo culture and its walk marriage can be taken as deciphering the code of history, reflecting the current situation and even more as a new starting point. Is it possible that one day the hometown of Dama (one of the informants of this dissertation) is no longer the margin area but the cradle of the magnificent Chinese culture? Mosuo people crave for a harmonious and free society in which there is no so-called mainstream and no hegemony. Is this more consistent with the theory featured in free-style and liberation of personality in traditional culture? This question puzzles Mosuo people and also confronts the whole modernization process.This dissertation combines the method of historical literature reviewing and fielding work.On the basis of diachronic and synchronic framework, ethnology and anthropology fielding work is expected to read in-depth into the changes of Mosuo people's walk marriage in modern times. More specifically, literature review, participant observation, holism and emic and etic approaches will be employed.This dissertation includes three parts:the introduction, the main body and the conclusion. The introduction is about the reason and meaning of the research, related research review, relevant concepts, basic theory, methodology, and the structure of the book, etc.Chapter One is Naxi Mosuo People by Lugu Lake. One of the guiding principles of ethnology in fielding work, data gathering and analysis is holism. Holism believes that everything in a culture is interrelated and that we cannot study any of the parts without referring to the whole on which the parts rely. By relating the geographical environment, historical and cultural situation, the chapter provides the background information for understanding the changes of walking marriage in modern times.Chapter Two:The Social Basis of Walk Marriage of Mosuo People---Matriarchal Family System. This chapter mainly analyzes the cultural basis of walking marriage of Mosuo people which serves and is subordinate to the matriarchal family system. However, this matriarchal system isn't equal to feminism.Chapter Three:The Mentality behind Mosuo's Traditional Walking Marriage. Traditional marriage values the social meaning more than the feelings in the bonding between men and women. The sociality of this kind of marriage needs to be confirmed in the form of contract. However, in Mosuo society, the sociality and the contract form of marriage haven't been given much thought to. To redefine the walking marriage of Mosuo culture, cognitive unit should be set up by fully presenting the individual case and thoroughly conducting theoretical analysis.Chapter Four:The Changes of Mosuo's Walking Marriage in Contemporary Times. Since the reform and opening up, Mosuo people have been increasingly drawing the attention of the public with the development of tourism. In this chapter, I will mainly focus on the social environment and the changes of Mosuo's walking marriage during this period of time. Besides from the changes in the form of walking marriage, the perspectives of Luoshui people regarding the walking marriage have also changed. At the same time, we should notice that intermarriage becomes more common and that wedding has gradually been in fashion. What's more, the wedding of Mosuo people involves more characteristics of Han culture and market economy.Chapter Five:The problems confronting Mosuo's walking marriage. In this chapter, the problems Mosuo's walking marriage is facing will be discussed from mainly four aspects, namely, symbolization of walking marriage and the split of its meaning, the intervention of money, the deli lemma of morals in modern world, and public health system which needs improving.Chapter Six:Mosuo people's Cognition of Changes of Walking Marriage---Subject Analysis. Different stages of Mosuo people's cognition of walking marriage will be analyzed in this chapter. In my opinion, although walking marriage and matriarchal family system have been preserved in the course of time, the culture characteristics and preserving mechanism have much changed. Mosuo people's construction of self, the internalization of patriarchal value system and changes of taboo culture will the emphasis of this chapter.Chapter Seven:The External Influence on the Changes of Mosuo's walk marriage—Object Analysis. In this chapter, the history and current situation of Mosuo society will be summarized, and then the future research paradigm and research topic will be discussed. The study of Mosuo culture will be taken as a dynamic knowledge system in this chapter. In view of the theory of poetic anthropology, this chapter will attempt to define the driving mechanism of the study of Mosuo culture.Chapter Eight:The Preservation and Development of Mosuo People's Walk Marriage. Based on the above analysis of Mosuo's walking marriage in the previous chapters, the localization of the modernity of walking marriage will be raised in this chapter. How do we protect the cultural ecology of Mosuo society in the context of invasion of foreign culture and lifestyle? Anyone who wants to stop the globalization from affecting Mosuo society and hopes to preserve the tradition in the way of isolation will be very much disappointed. We can stop the visitor, but we can never stop Mosuo people from longing for a better life. In addition, globalization and ubiquitous media have made it impossible to find the undisturbed idyllic place in the real sense. The development tendency in Luoshui Village indicated that people who actively participate in the modern economy and culture are able to better understand their own culture and make the cultural choice more easily. In this process, the key is that the subject of the society should decide whether he will take action, how he will take action and if he will pay the consequent price.In the conclusion part, my main argument point will be raised based on the analysis of the above chapters. Culture consists of material culture and intangible culture and changes with the changes in time and place. As intangible culture, Mosuo's walking marriage is closely related to the current social reality. When anthropologists pay their attention back to human being and look upon the local culture from a different perspective, Mosuo culture will extend our cultural tolerance and appreciation for the beauty. |
PDF Full Text Request