自1988年的還我母語運動展開以來，持續不斷的客家運動，影響了台灣客家事務各層面的發展，包括行政院客家委員會的設置、客家電視台的開播、客家基本法的通過等。這段期間，客家族群在與台灣其他族群的互動過程中，建構了自我認同，而其他族群則形成對客家族群的意象。在此一不同族群對話的場域中，所賴以溝通的就是符號；而此一符號媒介是場域行動者共同建構，而不是由客家族群或非客家族群單獨建構的。 在客委會積極推動的活動中，客家桐花祭歷經十年，可以說是能見度最高的活動，桐花因此成為客家族群的象徵符號之一。 為了解桐花被建構為客家符號的過程，本研究先以符號學的角度分析桐花所代表的意義歷來之轉變，再進一步以接合理論(構連理論)進行探討。本研究透過深度訪談針對各領域的行動者進行質化研究。 研究結果發現：（1）桐花符號擁有原生、不必然以及族群性。（2）客家桐花祭是建構桐花符號最重要的場域。（3）各領域的行動者深化了桐花符號的強度。（4）桐花符號兼具文化性與經濟性。 本研究對建構客家符號的建議為：（1）更深化桐花符號的文化性。（2）依循本研究結論建構其他客家符號的可能性。 Since 1988, after the Campaign of Restore My Mother Tongue, the ongoing Hakka movement has impacted Taiwan Hakka affairs developments in many aspects, including the setting of Council for Hakka Affairs, Hakka television broadcasting, the Hakka Basic Law and so on. During the interaction among Hakka and other Taiwan ethnic groups in this period, the Hakka group establishes self-identity, while other groups form their image of the Hakka community. In the dialogue field among different ethnic groups, the communication means are symbolic, and the symbolic medium is co-constructed by the field actors, rather than by individual Hakka or non-Hakka. Under the active promotions of the Council for Hakka Affairs, the Hakka Tung Blossom Festival lasting in a decade can be said as the highest visibility activity. The Hakka Tung Blossom becomes a symbol of Hakka. To understand the process of the Tung Blossom constructed as the symbol of Hakka, this study first reviews the historical changes of meaning of the Tung Blossom in the semiotic point of view, then further explores the articulation theory. This study takes in-depth interviews with actors in many areas for a qualitative research. The results show that: (1) Tung Blossom symbol is native, not inevitable, and ethnic; (2) Hakka Tung Blossom Festival is the most important field to build the tung blossom symbol; (3) The actors in various fields deepened the strength of the Tung Blossom symbol; and (4) The Tung Blossom symbol has both cultural and economic worths. This study recommends the construction of Hakka symbols: (1) to deepen the culture meanings of the Tung Blossom symbol; and (2) to follow the conclusions of this study for the possibility of building other Hakka symbols.
