本文以北斗林家為研究對象，探討清末到戰後林家的社會角色與其在不同政權下所面臨的處境。北斗家族勢力成長於清中葉以後，清末逐漸以家族為中心形成地方集團，在日治初期政權遞嬗中擔任地方重要職位，來臺第四代更在北斗郡的社會、經濟、政治、教育等方面皆有一席之地。北斗林家在相同的政權下有不一樣的認同選擇；在不同的政權體制下族人景況迥異，戰後，林家族人更分別陷入忠誠認定與國家認同的困境。本文徵引史料文獻、檔案、關鍵人物的私人文書和親歷其境者的口述歷史，藉以釐清世變下的北斗林家和二二八事件與白色恐怖時期的若干真相。

This article aims to discuss the social roles of the Lin family from the late Qing dynasty until the post war era as well as the conditions they faced under different regimes. The Lin family developed its influence from the mid-Qing dynasty and gradually became social elites in Beidou. The Lin family members served important local government positions during the early Japanese colonization era. Members from the fourth generation immigrants to Taiwan played important roles in the social, economic, political, and educational fields in Beidou County. The Lin family members chose different identity recognitions under each regime and their conditions varied greatly under different regimes. They faced a dilemma between maintaining loyalty and national identity after the war. This article utilized historical literature, documents, private letters and articles and oral histories from people who experienced these historical events to clarify the roles the Lin family played during the 228 incident and some facts regarding the “white terror” era.