社會科學家要探討淸代漢人移民台灣的歷史，必須針對移民的原因及條件作社會科學的考察，方能眞正了解移民的意義。本文即採這種觀點來探討淸代漢人移墾台灣的過程，以及傳統社會結構在移殖狀況下的發展模式。
本文的第二部份係針對漢人移民台灣的過程，做一歷史的回顧。從荷蘭佔領台灣，經明鄭時代（鄭成功），以迄淸朝的統治，將漢人移墾的過程分爲移墾時期與土著化社會時期等兩個階段。
第三部係討論漢人社會的確立。在移墾社會時期，分別從移墾的組織與土地租佃關係，地緣組織與鄕黨主義，以及合約字宗族等方面，探討漢人如何在台灣的邊疆社會拓墾，以及漢人社會結構的建立。在土著化社會時期，分析新地緣組織的建立，以及傳統宗族組織的發展。
結論。淸政府的移民政策影響台灣漢人移民社會的建立甚大，例如合約字宗族的建立可說是一種移民社會的產物，除了祭祀祖先外，它也是一種共同利益團體。1860年代以後，台灣漢人社會已從邊疆社會轉移到土著化社會，傳統宗族組織逐漸興起。

When social scientists wish to consider the history of Ch'ing dynasty Chinese immigration to Taiwan, it is necessary to focus on the reasons for immigration and the conditions of immigration from the perspective of social science before the significance of immigration can be understood. This paper adopts such a perspective to examine the process of Ch'ing dynasty Chinese immigration and pioneering on Taiwan and the developmental form of traditional social organization under colonial conditions.
The second section of the paper focuses on the process of Chinese immigration to Taiwan in historical prespective. Starting with the Dutch occupation of Taiwan, passing through the Cheng (Koxinga) period and continuing up to the Ch'ing dynasty, the process of Chinese immigration and pioneering is divided into two phases: the period of immigrant society and the period of nativized society.
Section three discusses the firm establishment of Chinese society. During the immigration/pioneering period, the ways in which Chinese opened land and built a Chinese social structure on Taiwan's frontier are discussed from the perspectives of the organization of pioneering and the relationship between tenants and landlords; local affinity and rural communalism; and ho-yueh-tzu lineages. Establishing new local affinities and the development of traditional lineage organizations during the nativization phase are analysed.
The immigration policy of the Ch'ing government had a profound impact on Chinese immigrant society in Taiwan. For instance, ho-yueh-tzu lineages can be called a product of immigrant society; in addition to worshiping ancestors, such lineages were also common interest groups. After the 1860,s， Chinese society on Taiwan turned from a frontier to a nativized society and traditional lineage organizations gradually came about.