本文回顧近二十年來英文學界關於中國近現代戲曲史的研究，討論範疇以歷史研究為主，兼及表演研究、文化研究與文學史。全文分為「戲曲中的殖民現代性」、「戲曲與社群」、「戲曲的知識生產」等三部分，分析十九世紀晚期至二十世紀前半，戲曲與社會及政治發展的交互影響。殖民科技改變了戲曲的消費體驗以及美學呈現，既反映也促成跨文化的舞台藝術交流。作為通俗文化的要素，戲曲在革新思潮衝擊與新興消費模式的影響下，成為各種社會群體想像國族與連結社群的有力媒介。而關注戲曲的知識生產，則可看出在地文化資源與跨國脈絡下的人文學科發展，如何影響知識的產出過程與後續詮釋。在結語中，本文指出戲曲史是跨領域研究的實踐，期望開發多元史料與擴大研究議題，並以跨越1949的歷史分期為例，提出可能的研究方向，以期從戲曲中洞察更豐富的中國現代史軌跡。

Over the past twenty years, scholars in the English-speaking world have explored the history of modern Chinese song-drama (xiqu) from various disciplinary approaches, including historical studies, performance studies, cultural studies, and literary studies. This review article examines this intellectual corpus through three themes: “colonial modernity in xiqu,” “xiqu and communities,” and “the knowledge production of xiqu.” Technologies that came with colonial powers to China reshaped the production and consumption of xiqu as a cultural product, further inspiring new aesthetic interpretations of Chinese theater and stimulating cross-cultural exchanges of theatrical art. At the same time, amidst the tide of reformist and revolutionary ideologies, xiqu emerged as a potent medium for envisioning national unity and fostering emotive communities. Furthermore, a study of xiqu as a topic of knowledge production reveals the intricate interplay between local contexts and the transnational development of humanities studies. Finally, this article suggests that xiqu, core to China’s historical experience from the past to the present, will continue to be a rich source for interdisciplinary research, transcending periodizations and geographical boundaries across the long twentieth century

戲曲; 殖民現代性; 國族; 性別; 知識生產

xiqu; colonial modernity; nation-state; gender; knowledge production