THE SITUATION OF POLISH SCHOOLS AND CENTERS OF POLISH CULTURE IN MOLDOVA AND TRANSDNIESTRIA

The Polish Diaspora in Moldova is not frequently a subject of interest to Polish researchers. It remains to some extent in the background of Polish communities in neighboring countries – Ukraine and Romania, resulting in fewer dedicated publications. This article tries to fill this gap, and mainly focuses the current status of Polish language teaching and Polish culture in Moldova and Transdniestria. The article describes the author’s own empirical research conducted in August 2008 – interviews with Polish women residing in Transdniestria, and in September and October of 2008 – a questionnaire survey (conducted via e-mail) with teachers and students of Polish language courses in the area of „indigenous” Moldova. Information obtained through interviews and correspondence has been supplemented by the author’s own observations during three visits to Moldova and Transdniestria (in 2005-2008)