The Southwest Practice of"Self-proclaimed headman"under the Native Chieftain System:the Case Study of Rongmei Chieftain
The chieftain system was an important system of dynastic state governance in the southwest region during the traditional period.Through the specific examination of the so-called"irrational usurpation"of the Rongmei chieftain,this study emphasizes the following three points:first,the implementation of the chieftain system didn't eliminate the tradition of"self-proclaimed headman"in Southwest China,but rather,it coexisted with the system and presented the prominent subjectivity of native headman;secondly,the continuation of the"self-proclaimed headman"tradition within the chieftain system was a concept shared by different groups of people at that time as an integral part of the flexible,diverse and inclusive territorial management system established in the process of dynastic state governance;thirdly,we shouldn't be shackled by the modern concept of nation-state which we take for granted,view"self-proclaimed headman"in the chieftain system as a resistance to national governance and social integration.As a matter of fact,they adopted a set of system and mechanism imitated the system of the mainland prefectures and counties to"tame"and integrate their native people in their territory before the central dynasties,laying a solid foundation for the implementation of prefecture-county governance by the state dynasty in the era of"bureaucratization of native officers".
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