In my presentation I will discuss the nation-building projects that have been implemented in Bessarabia and Transnistria (current territory of the Republic of Moldova) in the 19th and 20th centuries. Discussing these competing projects, generally elaborated outside these regions, will help us to better understand the so-called “identity crisis” that the population of Moldova, both the political and intellectual elite and ordinary people, is facing during the last 20 years

1. COMPETING NATION-BUILDING
PROJECTS IN
BESSARABIA, TRANSNISTRIA, AND THE
REPUBLIC MOLDOVA:
DECONSTRUCTING A PLURAL IDENTITY
.
Petru NEGURA, Ph.D

2. The Republic of Moldova and its
challenges






3,3 mln / 4,2 mln
population (with
Transnistria)
Transnistrian conflict
and separatist region
Economic challenges
(the poorest country in
Europe)
Mass migration
(officially up to 0.5 mln)
Split between the
Russian space and
Europe
„Identity crisis”?

3. The “identity crisis” in the Rep. of
Moldova

Definitions of the „identity crisis” in RM:
 Lack
of consensus on the identity perception
within the the group of Romanian speaking
Moldovans
 A component of the Romanianist “nationalizing
discourse”

4. The Romanianist discourse




Followers: Romanian speaking intellectuals
and some political parties (e.g. Liberal Party)
Slogan: “We are Romanians!”
Strength: significant representation among
the Romanian speaking elites
Weaknesses:
 Lack
of popularity
 Non representation of ethnic / linguistic minority
groups

5. The ethnic / identity structure in
RM according to the 2004 census
11.20%
9.40%
3.80%
8.40%
5.90%
4.40%
1.90%
2.20%
2%
1.90%
0.10% 0.10%
1.00%
right-bank Moldova
Other nat.
Poles
Jews
Bulgarians
Romanians
Gagauz
0
Russians
Ukrainians
60.00%
40.00%
20.00%
0.00%
69.60%
75.80%
Moldovans
80.00%
right-bank
Moldova

6. The identification of the Moldovan
citizens (multiple responses), 20042005
Bulgarians
Settler of X
Gagauzes
Citizen of RM
Ukrainians
Romanian
Russians
Moldovan / Russian /
Ukrainian / Gagauz /
Bulgarian
Moldovans /
Romanians
0%
20%
40%
60%
80% 100%
Source: Etnobarometru, Institutul de Politici Publice, 2004-2005

7. The Moldovanist discourse




Followers: Political parties (Agrarian
Party, Party of Communists) and a few
historians
Slogan: “We are Moldovans (not
Romanians)!”
Strength: large support among the majority
population
Weakness: low representation among
intellectual elite

8. 1991-2013: “Romanianist” and
“Moldovanist” political agendas
The years
The main party or alliance at
power in Parliament
1991-1994
Mainly “democratic” deputies (the Romanianist
Popular Front)
1994-1998
The Agrarian Democratic Party
(former Communist
nomenklatura)
Pro-Democratic Alliance (ADR)
Moldovanist
The Party of Communists of
Moldova (former Communist
nomenklatura)
Pro-Democratic alliance (AIE)
Moldovanist
1998-2001
2001-2009
2009 – now
National discourse
Romanianist (moderated)
Romanianist (moderated)

9. Moldova today: a conglomerate of
competing nationalizing agendas

10. Two ethnic concepts of the
Moldovan nation and neither civic
one



What about the ethnic / linguistic minorities?
¼ of the population in the mainland Moldova
and 1/3 with Transnistria
“Minorities” overrepresented in cities (33% in
Chişinău municipality (i.e. including the
villages around), 48% in Bălţi municipality

11. Nationalist proposals vs. everyday
reception




“National indifference”? (Zahra, 2010)
„Ethnic entrepreneurs‟ and „ordinary people‟
(Brubaker, 2006)
“The people” – object or subject of
nationalizing discourses / agendas?
“Banal nationalism(s)” (M. Billig, 1995)

12. “Flammable” and “smoke-producing” identity
issues concealing social and economic
problems

13. Identity perceptions and
geopolitical moods


The Romanianist discourse, associated with
unionism (with Romania) and anti-Russian
feeling
The Moldovanist discourse, coming together
with pro-Russian mood and favorable to the
Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union

14. Bessarabia and Transnistria in the
19th century
Borderlands and / or
provinces?

15. Demographic dynamics in
Bessarabia during the 19th century
population
3,000,000
2,686,000
2,500,000
1,935,000
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
population
1,003,035
700,000
482,000
0
1817
1844
1861
1897
1915

16. Demographic dynamics in Bessarabia
during the 19th century (ethnic / linguistic
groups)
100.00%
90.00%
80.00%
"Moldovans"
"Ukrainians"
"Russians"
"Bulgarians"*
"Jews"
"Germans"
"Gagauz"
70.00%
60.00%
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
1817
1844
1861
1897
* "Bulgarians" included also "Gagauzes" in 1917, 1844, and 1861

17. Romanian Bessarabia and Soviet
Transnistria




Mass schooling
Romanization /
Moldavization
Modernization &
Industrialization
The “people” –
object and target
group of
modernizing /
nationalizing policies

18. Romanian Bessarabia and Soviet Moldavia:
Generational gap and authority transfer

In the Romanian Bessarabia:
 The
“Old Generation”: trained in the Russian
Empire –Romanian nationalists and unionists
 The “New Generation”: trained in Romanian
schools –regionalists
 The legitimacy of each group‟s social capitals

In the Soviet Transnistria:
 The
“Old Generation”: coming from Bessarabia
and Romania, trained in the “Ancien Régime”
 The “New Generation”: locals, trained in Soviet
schools

19. MASSR (1924-1940) and MSSR (19401991): an inconsistent national policy





MASSR: “Moldovanists” vs. “Romanianists”
MSSR: Transnistrians vs. Bessarabians
Fighting for power and symbolic definition of
the language and cultural heritage (legitimizing
the Moldovan nation)
1924-1956: Balancing between Moldovanist
and Romanianist nationalizing policies
The 1950s: the “latent Romanianization” of the
language, cultural heritage, and intellectual
elites

20. Dividing “historical truths” and a
shared future
Photos by © Pablo Chignard:
http://www.pabloc.com/

21. Danke!
Haben Sie Fragen?
petru.negura@gmail.co
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