Moldavians, Romanian or Pan-Russian: The Construction and the Deconstruction of the National Identity in the Republic of Moldova in the 2.0 media

LECT.UNIV.DR. ADRIANA ȘTEFĂNELMA STUDENT LIUDMILA CERNAT

BA STUDENT ALEXE FLAVIA

HOW CAN ONE BE MOLDAVIAN?

The pan-Russian identity, that assumed building of an independent striving to edify a multiethnic society

The (pan)-Rumanian identity which focuses on the Romanian national spirit, and emphasize the communalities of history, language and culture, between Romania and The Republic of Moldova

The Moldavian identity: emphasizes the relationship between the citizens and this young, new nation.

Oh! ah! A Persian, is he? Most amazing! Oh! ah! A Persian, is he? Most amazing! However can anybody be a Persian?However can anybody be a Persian?

Persian Letters-MontesquieuPersian Letters-Montesquieu

THE PAN-RUSSIAN IDENTITY or THE SOVIET IDENTITYwww.timpul.md.

THE (PAN)-ROMANIAN IDENTITYThe Pro-Union Parade 28.01.2014

www.adevarul.ro

THE MOLDAVIAN IDENTITY(the map of the Moldavian language, in the picture)

http://graiesc.md

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NATIONAL IDENTITY

THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NATIONAL IDENTITY

2.0 IMAGINED COMMUNITIES

The new media centred on the use of technology in a creative manner has the power to aggregate ordinary people into communities and to (re)shape identities.

The new media’s researchers talk about the architecture of participation with a direct impact over the social networks and with an aggregation effect of users in virtual communities

the the collective intelligence collective intelligence as the amount of individual contributions of the as the amount of individual contributions of the users, users, self-organizationself-organization of masses of ordinary people on the Internet. These of masses of ordinary people on the Internet. These crowdscrowds emerge, define the collective problem or task by themselves, solve it, emerge, define the collective problem or task by themselves, solve it, and vanish as entities and vanish as entities (Hintikka, K.A., 2008, abstract)(Hintikka, K.A., 2008, abstract)

the the collective intelligence collective intelligence as the amount of individual contributions of the as the amount of individual contributions of the users, users, self-organizationself-organization of masses of ordinary people on the Internet. These of masses of ordinary people on the Internet. These crowdscrowds emerge, define the collective problem or task by themselves, solve it, emerge, define the collective problem or task by themselves, solve it, and vanish as entities and vanish as entities (Hintikka, K.A., 2008, abstract)(Hintikka, K.A., 2008, abstract)

(RE)CREATING THE PAST. THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA WIKIPEDIA PAGE

www.Wikipedia.org last acces 25.03.2014

The present (re)creates the past. The The present (re)creates the past. The historical fact is any detail from the past historical fact is any detail from the past that is used by the historian to demonstrate that is used by the historian to demonstrate his one idea about what has happened in his one idea about what has happened in the past. the past.

Djuvara,N.2011 Djuvara,N.2011

The present (re)creates the past. The The present (re)creates the past. The historical fact is any detail from the past historical fact is any detail from the past that is used by the historian to demonstrate that is used by the historian to demonstrate his one idea about what has happened in his one idea about what has happened in the past. the past.

Djuvara,N.2011 Djuvara,N.2011

(RE)CREATING THE PAST. THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA WIKIPEDIA PAGE

The primacy and the continuity of the Romanian population in this area and the historical links to the Romanian political space.

The Dacians civilisation versus the Kievan Russian migration. The Romanian brotherhood versus The Russian imperialism.

As a result of anarchy and violence of the Russian troops, in January 13, 1918, the Romanian army entered, at the request of the Moldavian Country's Council, in Bessarabia, to end the robbery.

Romanian version of Wikipedia, last access 25.03.2014

(RE)CREATING THE PAST. THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA WIKIPEDIA PAGE

Russian version of Wikipedia, last access 25.03.2014

До XIV века территория современной Молдавии была частью владений различных племенных союзов (гето-даки, готы, анты) и государственных образований (Древнерусское государство, Галицкое княжество, Золотая Орда).

В 1711 году молдавский господарь Дмитрий Кантемир в Яссах присягнул на верность России. В результате неудачного для Российской армии Прутского похода он со своей семьей и придворными переселился в Россию, где стал одним из приближенныхПетра I.

(RE)CREATING THE PAST. THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA WIKIPEDIA PAGE

Russian version of Wikipedia, last access 25.03.2014

До XIV века территория современной Молдавии была частью владений различных племенных союзов (гето-даки, готы, анты) и государственных образований (Древнерусское государство, Галицкое княжество, Золотая Орда).

В 1711 году молдавский господарь Дмитрий Кантемир в Яссах присягнул на верность России. В результате неудачного для Российской армии Прутского похода он со своей семьей и придворными переселился в Россию, где стал одним из приближенныхПетра I.

(RE)CREATING THE PAST. THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA WIKIPEDIA PAGE

www.Wikipedia.org last acces 25.03.2014

English version of Wikipedia, last access 25.03.2014

Highlights the historical complexity of this area.

On April 9 [O.S. March 27] 1918, the Sfatul Ţării decided with 86 votes for, 3 against and 36 abstaining, to unite with the Kingdom of Romania. The union was conditional upon fulfillment of the agrarian reform, autonomy, and respect for universal human rights. A part of the interim Parliament agreed to drop these conditions after Bukovina and Transylvania also joined the Kingdom of Romania, although historians note that they lacked the quorum to do so.

(RE)CREATING THE PAST. THE CASE OF THE REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA WIKIPEDIA PAGE

George Ghimpu raising the Romanian Flag on the Parliament

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: DISCOURSE ANALYSIS

The role of discourse in the construction of the world

The purpose of the research is to get behind the discourse, to find what people really mean

Laclau&Mouffes’s discourse theory:

The subject is fundamentally split it never quite becomes itselfIt acquires its identity by being represented discursivelyIdentity is thus identification with a subject position in a discursive structureIdentity is discursively constituted through chains of equivalence where signs are sorted and linked together in chains in opposition to other chainsIdentity is always relationally organisedIdentity is changeable just as discourses are,

apud Jorgensen M., Phillips, L., 2002, p.43

Laclau&Mouffes’s discourse theory:

The subject is fundamentally split it never quite becomes itselfIt acquires its identity by being represented discursivelyIdentity is thus identification with a subject position in a discursive structureIdentity is discursively constituted through chains of equivalence where signs are sorted and linked together in chains in opposition to other chainsIdentity is always relationally organisedIdentity is changeable just as discourses are,

apud Jorgensen M., Phillips, L., 2002, p.43

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: SAMPLING STRATEGY

Also called chain referral reputational or respondent-driven sampling

It is a multistage technique. It begins with one or a few blogs and spreads out based on links to the initial cases.

THE ROMANIAN IDENTITY

Same history

Same mythology

Same language

http://sorin-becciu.blogspot.ro/

THE PAN-RUSSIAN (IDENTITY) DISCOURSE

Less structured in 2.0 Moldavian blogosphere

Main issues:9th of MayRussian language statusThe cultural threat

THE MOLDAVIAN IDENTITY

Rural roots

…

• Usage of Russian&English languages

• Usage of Moldavian language

THE MOLDAVIAN IDENTITY

Romanian versus Moldavian

Slavic influences

Archaisms or regionalisms

English and/or Russian

• USING LANGUAGE (S) TO SHAPE IDENTITY

THE REJECTION OF ROMANIANHOOD

THE BIG WORLD-LITTLE COUNTRY SYNDORME

THE MOLDAVIAN IDENTITY

USING LANGUAGE (S) TO SHAPE IDENTITY

•THE REJECTION OF ROMANIANHOOD

THE BIG WORLD-LITTLE COUNTRY SYNDORME

New Founding Acts are evokedNew histories are writtenNew alliances are discovered New symbols are used

THE MOLDAVIAN IDENTITY

USING LANGUAGE (S) TO SHAPE IDENTITY

THE REJECTION OF ROMANIANHOOD

•THE BIG WORLD-LITTLE COUNTRY SYNDORME

The European Union do not needs a prosperous Moldova, but a depopulated Moldova with a puppet regime, to serve as a transit area and porter at the gates of Eastern European Union in return for all kinds of illegal operations

http://octavianracu.wordpress.com

THE LEGIONAR DRIFT

A well know legionary lyric; call to arms

The legionary chromatics&simbols (the firs, the celtyc cross)

THE MOLDAVIAN ORTODOX IDENTITY

The Moldavian orthodoxy versus the Others (Russians, Romanians, Europeans) atheism

The refuge against modernity

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS

The 2.0 Moldavian identity/identities issue mainly have two dimensions: a past-oriented one (historical perspective), linking to interpretation of past events that influence the country’s specifics, and a future-oriented one, representing the different perspectives of Moldavian citizens vis-a-vis the country's future.