空間、國族身份認同、性別：閱讀Elsie Sze《回歸》

Abstract

本論文旨在運用後現代策略去解碼香港社會、政治和歷史的意義，從而分析Elsie Sze的小說《回歸》裡空間的含義與其對國族身份認同和性別關係之影響。第一章先定義「場所」(place)和「空間」(space)，進一步探討這兩者和身份型塑的連結；其後，本章分析如何把香港閱讀為巴比塔城市(a city of Tower of Babel)，再以作者和小說的簡介作結尾。第二章爬梳香港從英國殖民開始到回歸中國(1842-1997)的歷史，闡述英國殖民對香港的建構國族身份認同的深遠影響。第三章以整理昂利．列斐伏爾(Henri Lefebvre)的理論作開首，以其理論解讀《回歸》中空間如何對國族身份認同產生作用。第四章把重心移到《回歸》中空間與性別之關係。最終章著重於後九七時代香港人如何從國族身份認同的角度看待自己。Applying a postmodern approach to decode meanings and significations in the societal, political, and historical contexts of Hong Kong, this thesis peruses Elsie Sze’s novel, Hui Gui: A Chinese Story published in 2005, by concentrating on the multiple connotations and effects of space in Hong Kong especially on national identity and gender relations. Chapter One defines “place” and “space,” and their relationships with identity formation, then explains how to read Hong Kong as a city of Tower of Babel in terms of spatiality, and ends with an overview of Elsie Sze and Hui Gui. Chapter Two explicates the history of Hong Kong from 1842 to 1997, i.e., from the year of the advent of British colonization to the year of the transfer of sovereignty from Britain to the People's Republic of China, and the profound impact of colonization on Hong Kong people’s construction of national identity. Chapter Three reviews the major theoretical texts of this thesis, including Henri Lefebvre’s The Production of Space and The Right to the City, and incorporates with the textual analysis of Hui Gui in terms of the relationship between space and national identity. Chapter Four continues the discussion by elucidating the relationship between space and gender in this novel. The concluding chapter focuses on the post-1997 era and observes how Hong Kong people regard themselves in the 21st century.