日治初期的臺灣博物學會──日本博物學家與臺灣自然史的建構

Abstract

本文探討日治初期日本博物學家在臺灣所展開的學術調查，為何及如何形成臺灣博物學會組織。為探討日治初期臺灣博物學發展，本文重視日本明治維新之後的博物學發展，以及十九世紀以來西方博物學發展的關連。西方近代博物學調查活動與帝國殖民經營有密切關係，對於當時亞洲唯一的帝國主義國家日本而言也不例外，博物學或科學調查同樣運用於殖民擴張或殖民地經營。本文副標「臺灣自然史的建構」，用意在提醒：現在我們習以為常的臺灣自然環境知識，實際蘊藏戰前殖民時期自然科學調查研究的歷史；這部分知識歷經從原有的模糊未知，歷經紀錄、描繪、論述、書寫等知識生產的過程，「建構」即為表述這個殖民科學發展的歷史進程。

This paper discusses the agency of Natural History Society of Taiwan, including its organizational operations and its research characteristics, especially Japanese naturalist why and how to execute the academic investigations in the early period of Japanese Colonial Rule. For this purposes, this paper explores the emphasis on the natural history and development after Meiji Restoration in Japan and Western natural history in the 19th century. Basically, the natural history are closely related tothe colonial governance of Western Empire in 19th century. Was the only imperialist country in Asia, Japan is no exception, natural history or scientific investigation was used in colonial expansion or governance as the former. The subtitle of this article "Construction of Natural History," intends to remind that we now take for granted the knowledge of natural environment in Taiwan.It is actually a hidden history of natural scientific research in pre-war colonial period. This part of knowledge was unknown from the original fuzzy, through the process of knowledge production afterward, record,description, discourse,writingetc, and gradually become clear and unambiguous understanding. The subtitle of "construct" is expressed this historical process of colonial scientific development.