Desperately Seeking Susan

Abstract

本文是作者據其在1989年，美國威斯康辛州(Wisconsin)的一處觀光旅遊小鎮Mt. Horeb為田野工作地點，所作現代人蒐集骨董與紀念品涵意的論文。作者藉一部電影「緊急尋找蘇珊」(Desperately Seeking Susan)，譬喻現代人渴望人文精神的安慰。在本文中，此種渴望則藉著蒐集骨董與紀念品表現出來。作者指出，現代人安置自我的方式有兩種。一是如MacCannell所說，參與觀光旅遊，而與現代社會相連；另一則如本文所揭示，回到過去的世界，從骨董與紀念品中，喚起特殊經驗，證明自我，並因其中所蘊含的人文精神而得到安慰。類似後者，回顧過去的現象，常發生在急遽變遷的社會中，可說是現代人無法全然認同現代的一種行為反應。骨董與紀念品都是過去生活經驗的表徵，同樣蘊含了人文精神。現代人蒐集骨董或紀念品，其實是厭倦單調枯燥的現代生活，追求人文精神的反應。\n

This paper is based on the analysis of a fieldwork conducted by the author in Mt. Horeb. Wisconsin, a tourist village, in 1989. The purpose is to study the significance of collecting antiques and souvenirs in modern times. The author uses a movie. "Desperately Seeking Susan", as a metaphor to depict the yearning of humanity in modern people. In the case of Mt. Horeb, the yearning was relfected by way of collecting antiques and souvenirs. This paper points out two kinds of identities. One is to identify oneself with the present, as MacCannell suggests, to participate in sightseeing and establishing the relationship with modern society. Another is to identify with the past, as the fieldwork reveals, to return to the past world, and draw special experiences from antiques and souvenirs and to be soothed by the humanity they contain. In a rapid changing society, looking back is a common phenomenon for modern people who do not fully identify themselves with the present. Antiques and souvenirs are representations of past experiences, which also contain humanity. The behavior of collecting antiques and souvenirs could be a search for humanity.