本研究試圖對曾文溪下游流域(古台江內海)的民間信仰文化空間進行宗教場域的研究。 此區域的宗教文化有兩個特色：一是王醮儀典結合遶境活動的香科慶典；二是豐富的陣 頭文化。過去對民間信仰的研究多以單一廟宇作為主要考察的對象。一般香科的研究， 也往往將重點放在香科的歷史探索、香科的結構介紹(如參加的香庄有哪些、儀式流程 介紹等)。有別於這類歷史探源及結構性的介紹，本研究將重點放在以儀式為基礎的互 動場域，因為詮釋性的「意義」存在於儀式性的互動中。本研究主張儀式是具傳散性的 媒介，如同象徵符碼可以透過各地的詮釋重構而被再現與擴張。因此在進行儀式的探究 時，並不能以某個香科為範圍，而必須依它所傳散及相互影響的範圍來進行探究。本研 究在對概念進行審視及定義後，將以儀式性陣頭為研究的出發點，由此媒介作為出發點 來探討它如何影響信徒信仰認知、廟際關係、以及跨香境的文化現象。 This project is aimed to examine the religious field of popular religion in the downstream region of Tseng-Wun-River. The religious culture of this region is characterized by (1) the special form of worship ceremony, and (2) the ritualistic parade troupes. The topic of religious researches is used to be set for one single temple, or some certain ritual or belief element. The cross-temple relations of popular religion have seldom been viewed as an important research topic. Even regarding the research of the cross-regional worship ceremony, most studies prefer to study the ritual forms and their changes over time. This project, in opposite, focuses on the way of religious construction. Distinguished form the historical and ethnographical approach, my study goes from the sociological viewpoint. I shall argue that the ritual is an important medium for constructing the individual belief and religio-cultural institution, including the cross-temple relations and cross-worship circle phenomena. My starting point of analysis is the widespread ‘ritualistic parade troupes’, which play an fundamental role in religious construction. I would like to show how they construct the religious field in the modern society
