Political contradictions in Moldova – or, the new religious crusades under political considerations
Political contradictions in Moldova – or, the new religious crusades under political considerations

Summary/Abstract: In spite of traditional theories that divide countries by religions or by language (e.g. Samuel Huntington), Moldova seems to be a striking exception that does not fit entirely into existing theories on state-building or post-communist transformation. Many authors in the west agree that the ‘Moldovan story is an unconventional tale, and this is particularly true because of the cultural divisions that have split both society and the major ethnic group in the country, a situation which cannot be traced simply to a number of ethnic or political contradictions. Unlike the other former republics of the Soviet Union, the titular population was culturally bound to a nation-state across the border (Romania) and, in order to fight the potential of irredentism, the Soviet regime sought to implement several projects of intense nation-building, as well as undertaking cultural, linguistic and confessional manoeuvres that aimed to convince the local population of their separateness from the neighbouring Romanians. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, and over the decade of independent statehood, it seems that the legacy of the former regime in Moldova has nine lives and dozens of chances. Primarily, this is because of the coincidence of this legacy with several dogmas and social experiences which are clearly confined to a zone of shifting cultural policies and puzzling identities. One of these zones belongs to the religious sphere which, in Moldova, is based on a predominant and large Christian Orthodoxy.

• Details
• Contents