A Study on the Political Network and Communication using Song Dynasty Letters

2019 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K02904
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Asia and Africa
• Research Institution: Osaka City University
• Principal Investigator: HIRATA SHIGEKI 大阪市立大学, 大学院文学研究科, 教授 (90228784)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2020-03-31
• Keywords: ネットワーク / コミュニケーション / 手紙 / 中央 / 周辺 / 縁辺

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I clarified the following points about the network and communication of Song elites.(1) The elites who lived in the central regions often exchanged public letters, and at the same time they also exchanged private letters. They used private letters as a kind of SNS , and among private groups, they discussed the works attached to letters, and sometimes held meetings looking at the letters.(2) For elites who lived in marginal societies, letters served as an important means of supporting their political, social, economic and cultural activities, in order to supplement inconvenient transportation. Therefore, in the case of letters for long-distance companionship, more detailed information was written and often used as a means of discussion.(3)Through the analysis of the letters, I revealed that the Song Dynasty elites had a wide-ranging cultural network that extended to the circuits ( lu,路) or across the nation, and that various activities were conducted through the network.

Free Research Field

宋代史

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

宋代士大夫の日常生活の交流を端的に示す手紙資料を分析することを通じて、郷村、県、州、路、全国と多層的空間において、血縁、地縁、学縁、業縁などのネットワークが複合的に結びつき、複雑なネットワークが構築されている様子が明らかになるとともに、特に南宋期においては、中央・地方それぞれに構築される政治的ネットワーク、州を中心として形成される家族・宗族共同体や婚姻圏とは別に、路あるいは全国にまで及ぶ文化的ネットワークが存在し、これらが相まって士大夫の活動を支えていたことが明らかになった。以上のように、今後の宋代士大夫のネットワークやコミュニケーションを考えるうえで、新たなモデルを提出した。