Networking Chinese Gold Mining Kongsis in West Borneo: A Research Note of the Philosophical Approach to Studying Overseas Chinese History
西婆罗洲华人金矿公司的网络化分析：一份从哲学角度研究海外华人历史的研究笔记

Fangchao JI 纪方超
Ph.D. Candidate, Brandeis University.
E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Starting from the time of the 1740s, significant numbers of Chinese migrants, mainly from the Guangdong province in mainland China, started to migrate to West Borneo. Initially, they were recruited by local sultanates to extract the rich gold mines in the area. After years of development, these Chinese mining organizations evolved into distinct ethnic settlements known as the kongsi (公司(gongsi in pinyin) in Chinese, and kongsie in early Dutch records). The history of these gold mining kongsis holds significant potential for elucidating a more extensive network among diverse regional political and economic entities. This paper serves as an initial review rather than a comprehensive historical examination of the kongsi. With a few exceptions, it largely draws from a compilation of secondary sources on kongsi studies from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The primary aim is to outline critical methodological themes and underscore the substantial academic significance of kongsi studies for future reference. The paper serves three distinct objectives. Firstly, it endeavors to provide an overview of the general historical and historiographical context of West Borneo kongsis. Secondly, the paper highlights remaining pivotal questions and challenges within kongsi studies. And finally, it introduces a novel methodological approach to reframe and redefine kongsi history by establishing connections between kongsis and Western philosophical theories.

Keywords: Early Modem History, West Borneo, Kongsi, Overseas Chinese Studies

摘要

大约从1740年代开始，大批来自中国广东地区的华人开始移民迁徙到西婆罗洲。最初,他们受当地苏丹招募，逐渐成为开采该地区丰富金矿的主要劳动力。经过几十年的发展，这些华人金矿组织演变成了被称为“公司（出于历史沿革的原因，文中统一使用kongsi来表述）”的独特海外华人栖息地（在早期荷兰记录中亦称为kongsie）。研究西婆罗洲华人金矿公司的历史对于阐明同时期（十八世纪与十九世纪）西婆罗洲以及爪哇海区域内各种政治和经济实体之间广泛复杂的网络关系具有重要的作用。需要注意的是，本文仅是针对目前公司研究的总结性调查和研究笔记，而非全面的历史考察和历史研究。文中除少数案例外，本文主要依赖于十九和二十世纪西婆罗洲公司研究的专著资料 (secondary sources)。文章的主要目的是概述西婆罗洲华人金矿公司的历史背景，总结当下公司研究所面临的关键问题和挑战。同时，本文尝试建立公司研究与西方哲学理论之间的联系，旨在介绍一种重新构建和重新定义公司历史的新方法。

关键词：近现代史、西婆罗洲、公司、海外华人研究

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