The evolution of the Pridnestrovian identity in the context of the unresolved conflict with the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

The construction of the Pridnestrovian political nation is carried out both naturally and through a purposeful state policy on nation-building. The identity of the modern Pridnestrovian state was formed initially on anti-nationalist principles, in contrast to the identity of the Republic of Moldova, on the basis of late Soviet internationalism, as well as a successor republic of the MASSR, but over time it began to transform, there was a departure from Soviet principles in favor of self-sufficiency and irreducibility to any models. In many ways, this was facilitated by the position of Pridnestrovian political and scientific elites looking for sources of their own statehood in the identity of the Pridnestrovian people. To date, a system has been created in Pridnestrovie that ensures the retransmission of values and meanings among the population, it includes society and government institutions, as well as civil society institutions. At the same time, the development of civil and political identity leads to a complication of the dialogue between the PMR and the RM. In the conditions of a multidirectional geopolitical choice, the application of the Pridnestrovian model for Moldova turns out to be impossible, since the Republic of Moldova has not abandoned the national model of the state. The spread of the Pridnestrovian multiethnic model in Moldovan society and politics can be perceived as interference in internal affairs and forced Russification. The author suggests not to confuse concepts when talking about the identity of the population – not to confuse the political discourse and ideology of the state with the identity that has naturally formed over the centuries, based on multiethnicity, peacefulness and attraction to the Russian world. The political ideology of the modern Pridnestrovian state is directed towards the future and has a political goal – independence, identity connects the people with its origins, in this case with the past, in which Russia's special role in the development of the region is noticeable.