Multiethnic Parastates and Nation-Building: The Case of the Transnistrian Imagined Community

Abstract

This article explores nation-building processes in the Transnistrian imagined community. While some scholars describe Transnistria’s nation-building strategy as a civic, multicultural project, the analysis of recent demographic and educational data corroborated with the close examination of local media content and official discourses—all point to the emergence of a distinct political culture marked by the increasing use of the Russian language in the public sphere, and the politicization of the Moldovan identity. Discourses about ethnic and national identity in the region have evolved as the Transnistrian elites reimagine the political community as part of the Russkii Mir. These circumstances suggest that, in the long run, the breakaway region might function as the southeastern frontline of Russian irredentism with the elites of the Pridnestrovska͡ia Moldavska͡ia Respublika continuing to call on the Russian Federation to annex the parastate instead of seeking a peaceful reintegration into Moldova.

Legitimizing the Separatist Cause: Nation-building in the Eurasiande factoStates

“…First, the origin myth accounts for a territorially based Transnistrian identity, which formed throughout centuries of interaction of ethnic groups at the border between Slavic and Romance cultures. Transnistrians are an “outpost” and “bulwark” of “Orthodox Slavic civilization.” Incidentally, de facto President, elected in 2016, Vadim Krasnoselski puts much emphasis on Transnistria’s position within the Russkiy Mir (Marandici 2020), a cultural Russian civilization (Oleksy 2016; Laruelle 2015). The different ethnicities “are depicted as peacefully coexisting, interacting, and ‘assimilating’ (each other?…”

“…Victory Day (9 May) signifies the “liberation of the Transnistrian people” from the “fascist threat” (Cojocaru and Suhan 2006, 157–158), and the 1992 war confirms the constant aggressive attitude of Moldovan Bessarabian national-fascist authorities (Cojocaru and Suhan 2006, 157; Svet 2013, 111). Each March 2, de facto President Krasnoselski solemnly commemorates the Massive Resistance to the Aggression by Moldova (Marandici 2020).…”

“…Russian is the chosen language of expression for Transnistrian artists and writers seeking a broader audience. Russification is under way and – although distinctive – the Transnistrian identity is understood as a “drop within the Russian cultural home” (author’s interview with a Tiraspol university professor, June 2011; Marandici 2020). While the Transnistrian authorities claim statehood, referring to the 2006 referendum, when 97 percent of the population expressed their willingness for either independence or integration with Russia, they aspire at becoming an exclave of the Russian Federation.…”

Socio-Cultural Integration of the Gagauz People Into the Moldovan Contemporary Society: National and Regional Approaches

“…This article analyzes national and Gagauz approaches to the social and cultural integration as a concept covering the implementation of the language policy in the republic and the functioning of two value translators that are defined as key for identity formation -the education system and the media [11,12,13,16]. The choice of the abovementioned socio-cultural aspects of the integration policy of ethnic minorities is due to their special significance in the formation of value senses and beliefs.…”