General Patterns and National Features of the Identity Formation in the Post-Soviet Space: the Experience of Moldova

Abstract

The article discusses the processes of searching for the national identity of the Republic of Moldova during the post-communist transit. The conditions in which the reforms took place in the country and the factors that influenced the directions and priorities of the development of Moldavian society are analyzed. It is shown that the processes of the formation of a political nation in the Republic proceeded in an environment of socio-political crises and conflicts, fluctuations in domestic and foreign policy and had a non-linear wave-like character. The search for national identity in Moldova was accompanied by the emergence of ideological, political and value splits in the political elite and among the masses of Moldavian society, which intensified and softened with a certain frequency. It is stated that the Republic of Moldova is practically the only country in Europe where identification differences were a determining factor in the polarization of political forces, and identity conflicts became a significant factor in political mobilization. It is noted that the incompleteness of the process of national self-identification in Moldova is largely determined by external factors, as a result of which the state acts as an object of influence of more significant subjects of international politics. It is concluded that although the political system of the Republic of Moldova supports the existence of democratic trends, the achievement of value consensus through the creation of a broad dialogue in the public space and general civil discourse remains an urgent task for the national elites. The experience of the political transit of the Republic of Moldova has confirmed the fact that during the formation of political nations there are frequent cases when the confrontation of symbols, meanings and historical dates does not occur between different states, but takes place within society itself. Moldova has become a classic example of an identification split that divides the country into East and West, North and South, whose residents appeal to different versions of national history.