Nation-Building in unrecognised states: Case study, Transnistrian Moldovan Republic

The topic of this case study is the national identity of the unrecognised Transnistrian Moldovan Republic. The study draws from the constructivist assumption that every national identity is constructed by intellectual, political and other elites. The study seeks answers to the question of whether there is a separate Transnistrian identity, how is such identity constructed, on which foundations it is being built and which tools are being involved in the process. The study begins with the history of the region in the context of Russian and Soviet colonialist policies of Russification, Moldovanisation and managed immigration. This chapter is followed by theoretical chapter on the theme of national identity. The main part of the work sets out to identify the tools, which are being used by the regime to create the national identity: The propaganda, politicized historiography and language policies. These tools are in turn compared with the previous colonial policies of Russification and Moldovanisation in the conclusion