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The aim of this paper is to study the main stages of the development and settlement of the territory of Southern Bessarabia by ethnic Romanians, as well as the peculiarities of the formation of Romanian folk culture. In order to achieve this aim, it is necessary to solve the following tasks: to study ethnogenetic and demographic processes in the formation of the folk culture of the Romanians of Southern Bessarabia, to identify the influence of other ethnic groups on Romanian national selfawareness. In this study, a set of research methods is used: genetic and historical method; formal and typological method; functional method. The actuality of the research lies in the fact that for the first time the folk culture of the Romanian population of Bessarabia is considered as a result of the interaction of integration, adaptation and transformation processes that formed the multiethnic community of the Romanian ethnic group. The paper examines the state of two parallel vectors – «Moldovanism» and «Romanism» – which define two identities, and also distinguishes two stages of Moldovan ethnogenesis: the formation of the Eastern Romanian ethnic community and the formation of the Moldovan nation itself. The study shows that the formation of the modern national-regional picture of the Bessarabian region is evidence not only of the long process of formation of the ethnogenesis of the Romanian-speaking population, but also of the life of representatives of other ethnic groups.

Copyright of Russkaa Starina is the property of Cherkas Global University Press and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Archaeological, Anthropological, & Interdisciplinary Studies (JAAIS) / Revista de Arheologie, Antropologie si Studii Interdisciplinare is the property of Institute of Bioarchaeology & Ethnocultural Research (ICBE) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An article, written on the basis of an electronic source base for researching the history of the South Ukrainian Cossack army in the last quarter of the 18th century (website "Cossacks of the ХV–ХХІ centuries"), examines the history of the close relationship of the Ukrainian Cossacks with the events of political and economic life and the national liberation competitions of the peoples of Moldova, Romania (Wallachia and Northern Dobruja), Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, Serbia, Turkey, Poland, Austria. At the same time, little)studied topics of the fate of the Zaporozhian Cossacks and Cossacks from South-Eastern Europe as part of irregular formations after 1775. The question is raised about the introduction of materials into scientific circulation from archival collections of Austria, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Croatia, Turkey in order to create comprehensive generalizing studies on the issues under consideration [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article deals with the wedding rituals of Moldovans of the Ukrainian Danube Region. The main structural components and wedding attributes in the traditional Moldavian ethnoculture are indicated, as well as the ritual actions and specific features of the wedding songs are analyzed. The regional features of the functioning of the wedding ceremony are identified. The functional changes in the studied wedding folklore are traced at the modern stage.

This article examines whether the social, cultural, or economic dimensions of integration into a receiving society have the effect of intensifying or weakening transnational ties to a migrant's country of origin. The article is based on an analysis of unique data gathered in a questionnaire survey conducted among 409 Moldovan migrants living in Italy and Czechia and resident there for more than one year. Transnational and integration indices were constructed in order to investigate the relationships between selected characteristics of the respondents. The analysis reveals that greater socio-cultural integration is accompanied by weaker transnational practices, where key roles are played by the length of stay and age upon arrival. This is found to apply to Moldovans in both countries, although a slightly more positive relationship is observed between Italian Moldovans' economic integration and transnationalism, suggesting that economic resources facilitate the maintenance and development of cross-border networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores nation-building processes in the Transnistrian imagined community. While some scholars describe Transnistria's nation-building strategy as a civic, multicultural project, the analysis of recent demographic and educational data corroborated with the close examination of local media content and official discourses—all point to the emergence of a distinct political culture marked by the increasing use of the Russian language in the public sphere, and the politicization of the Moldovan identity. Discourses about ethnic and national identity in the region have evolved as the Transnistrian elites reimagine the political community as part of the Russkii Mir. These circumstances suggest that, in the long run, the breakaway region might function as the southeastern frontline of Russian irredentism with the elites of the Pridnestrovska͡ia Moldavska͡ia Respublika continuing to call on the Russian Federation to annex the parastate instead of seeking a peaceful reintegration into Moldova. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moldova is one of the smallest and poorest European countries, with one of the highest migration rates in the world. While actual migration figures are difficult to obtain, due to the fluctuating and often illegal nature of Moldovan migration, it is an ever-present fact of life in Moldova with about, according to some estimates, a third of the adult population working abroad, often 'leaving behind' children in the care of relatives, neighbours or in orphanages. This paper investigates how such high migration rates affect Moldovan family life and personal definitions of identity and success. It highlights the personal quests of the young Moldovan population, particularly college students, and pays particular attention to the young adults who are children of migration themselves, with many of them having grown up with one or both parents working abroad during part or all of their childhood and adolescence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Authenticity is a key concept of language revitalisation; any attempt to restore the language practices of the past aims at achieving the authentic language. Since, as much of recent sociolinguistic scholarship has argued, this goal can only be met through metapragmatic activities, the emically defined success of language revitalisation also depends on such processes. The introduction of new linguistic practices is therefore inevitably linked to a value‐centred and preferably consensual comparison with older practices. In our study, we argue that during the reanalysis of this comparison, linguistic practices subject to revitalisation are interpreted as independent semiotic registers, i.e. enregistered. These metapragmatic activities are illustrated with the example of the Moldavian Hungarian (Csángó) language spoken in North‐East Romania, by analysing a new literacy practice created during language revitalisation. This practice results in travelling texts, such as books and letters to the supporters of the revitalising programme from Hungary. These are designed to fulfil the expectations of the sponsors regarding the 'authentic' Csángó dialect, with a linguistic production that is enregistered both as a locally unique language and as a dialect of Hungarian. The analysis shows that the quest for authenticity can be discursively achieved even if the success of restoring former language practices is debatable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 19th century brought in the Romanian ecclesiastical environment a new type of music: the harmonies of choral music. Although psaltic music, with roots before the Middle Ages, but subjected to the evolutions and regressions of the Middle Ages, had a solid tradition in the Moldavian monasteries, and especially in Neamţ Monastery, the presence of a consistent group of Russian monks determined here several creations with obvious Russian influence. Such is the case of the Axion estin from the Romanian manuscript no. 14 from the library of Neamţ Monastery. We will briefly analyze this creation and underline its characteristics and the differences it presents from psaltic music. Such creations constitute the germs of choral creation in our country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Codrul Cosminului is the property of Codrul Cosminului and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Melatonin, as an indoleamine molecule, regulates a wide range of physiological functions during the growth, morphogenesis and response of plants to biotic and abiotic stresses. In this research, the effect of exogenous application of melatonin (0 (distilled water), 50, 100 and 150 µM) to the leaves of Moldavian balm plants grown under different levels of drought stress (100% (control), 80%, 60% and 40% of field water capacity) was investigated. The results indicate that plants which were treated with 100 µM melatonin showed the greatest leaf surface area, lateral branching, flower length and activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, guaiacol peroxidase and ascorbate peroxidase). Foliar application of 100 µM melatonin had no significant difference in catalase activity in comparison with the control and other concentrations of melatonin under normal, moderate and severe drought stress conditions. The lowest H2O2 content and lipid peroxidation (electrolyte leakage, concentrations of malondialdehyde and other aldehydes) were obtained at the concentration of 100 µM melatonin under severe drought stress. This concentration also significantly increased the chlorophyll content and enhanced the relative water content; however, foliar application of 100 µM melatonin had no significant effect on leaf length and proline content compared with the control under normal and stress conditions. The obtained results suggested that foliar application of 100 µM melatonin was more effective than the concentrations of 50 and 150 µM melatonin in reducing the adverse effects of moderate and severe drought stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses a current problem facing the government and Moldovan society, namely changes in the migration process in diaspora communities, both in terms of government policies and in terms of practical implementation of these policies. EU policies encourages the governments to actively pursue their efforts through the United Nations the issue of migration and strengthening the Diaspora to occupy an important place on the international agenda for the human rights of migrants are guaranteed under an international legislative framework and that shared administration migration processes between countries of origin and host countries to contribute to economic and social development. For this motive, in this article the concept of inclusion and migration will be mobilized to analyze the social reality of Moldavians migrants in UE. The second part of this paper is to present the social reality of Moldavians immigrants within the enlarged Europe, specifically by examining the migration experiences, the personal stories and perceptions about then. In order to measure to what extent borders and mobility is affecting immigrants' identity; this paper explores the construction of immigrant identity through the interaction with the host society analyzing social situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A decade-old war of words is raging in the Moldovan media, amid renewed calls for the country to denounce the association agreement with the EU. Igor Dodon's win in the runoff of the presidential election on 13 November 2016 fuelled the dispute about whether the country should remain on its European course or not. As always, propaganda wars and the ethnic background of those involved in the debate never fail to capture the imagination of foreign media. However, local audiences make choices that fall outside the modes of expression perceived as being popular with the major players in the information market of the RM: the Russian Federation, Romania, the Chisinau elites and the EU. The media-related communication of the Moldovans shows that their beliefs about nationalism are not necessarily shaped by the reception of Romanian or Russian-language media. Instead, their responses to media exposure point to poor national mobilisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of why individuals vote, the so-called “paradox of voting”, has been a crucial debate within political science, conceived deductively as an interaction between costs, benefits, and, as some argue, duties. This article situates the question of why individuals vote within the context of extra-territorial elections, focusing on how and why those who acquire citizenship kin-states participate in kin-state elections following citizenship acquisition, while continuing to reside outside of the kin-state. The article uses the case of newly acquired Romanian citizens in Moldova, who have never resided in nor intend to reside in Romania, to unpack whether, how, and why individuals acquiring Romanian citizenship in Moldova vote in Romanian elections. The article uses an interpretive and inductive approach to explore from the bottom up both the experiences of and motivations for political participation of extra-territorial citizens. The article finds, unexpectedly, how those acquiring Romanian citizenship in Moldova are motivated by a duty to participate. Overall, the article argues for a relational and reciprocal understanding of citizenship and voting, which focuses on the relationship between the kin-state, facilitating citizenship as a right, and the kin-citizen, performing their duty to vote. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The modern historiography generally investigates the medieval nobility of Moldavia from a legal, genealogical or economic perspective, but there may be constantly observed a deficiency in the current body of work with respect to the basic methodological issues raised by the preserved fifteenth-century sources, issues that eventually turn out to be critical for an adequate understanding of the topic. Since our knowledge is mostly dependent on the reading of chancellery's diplomas that deal with several Moldavian boyars, we need to look more closely at the ways in which the princely chancellery functioned in connection to the necessities and customs of the noble society. The present survey aims to emphasize the main methodological issues that need further consideration (calculating the overtime losses in the documentary corpus, the scope of securing confirmatory diplomas by the laity, the significant rôle of the oral culture, and the absence of a written legal culture), and then it puts forward a case study concerning the chancellery formula "great and petty boyars." The main point of the paper is the necessity to construct a methodology suitable for the preserved sources before elaborating further upon various social theories applied to the Moldavian nobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article seeks to bring a new perspective to the political and diplomatic history east of the Carpathians in the early 1430s by drawing upon a recently discovered document in the Geheimes Staatsarchiv, Preuβscher Kulturbesitz (Berlin), probably dating from spring 1431, in which Duke Svidrigiello of Lithuania states his readiness to marry the daughter--hitherto unknown--of Alexander I cel Bun (the Just) of Moldavia. This document provides new information regarding the relationship between Sigismund of Luxemburg and the Duchy of Lithuania in the aftermath of Duke Witold's death in autumn of 1430, and sheds new light on the various agendas at play between the duchies of Moldavia and Lithuania and the kingdoms of Hungary and Poland in the face of the Turkish threat commanded by the astute Sultan Murad II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article offers a different perspective for understanding Moldovan discourses of passivity by turning its attention to representations of national identity. Its main focus is a Moldovan ballad, Mioriţa, and the way in which it discursively both frames and legitimises inaction. It builds on the idea that Mioriţa is a central part of the way in which Moldovans represent their identity with respect to the writings of Ion Druţă, its main promoter in Moldovan society. More importantly, the ballad is conceptually linked to national characteristics such as lamentation and kindness, characteristics that can be summed up under the headline of 'passivity'. Thus, drawing from constructivist and post-structuralist approaches, the article stresses how these elements inform the Moldovan view of the self, its identity and even its representations of foreign affairs, framing the Moldovan lack of agency on a discursive level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research study provides an insight into an important repertoire of compositional and colour elements specific to the traditional folk costume of the region of Moldavia, by highlighting the great richness and variety of garments, shapes, and hues, "an immense creative workshop" of major aesthetic value which draws strong interest. The male and female folk costumes each represent an ethno-cultural unit of high value for research, history and art, passed on by our ancestors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims at comparing national identity situations in Moldova and the self-proclaimed Transnistrian state (Pridnestrovie). Moldovan identity is torn and takes at least five forms: (1) Moldovan ethnonational identity as a regional variation of the Romanian one; (2) specifically Moldovan ethnonational identity; (3) post-Soviet amorphous 'non-identity'; (4) specific identities of ethnic minorities (identification of the Ukrainians with Ukraine, Russians with Russia, etc.); (5) marginal identities of the titular ethnic group. None of these identity projects is directed towards consolidating the Moldovan civil nation, including ethnic minorities (making up approximately 22% of the population). Moreover, there is an identity split within the titular ethnic group, more complex than a dilemma of Romanianism / Moldovanism. Moldovanism has at least two versions (ethicized and integrative), not to mention marginalized identities (such as Romanian-speaking Orthodox fundamentalists objecting to eurointegration). Transnistrian identity, to the contrary, is firm and consolidated, although it consists of seemingly incompatible parts (pre-Soviet, Soviet and post- Soviet). It is a civil identity based on ideology, not on ethnicity. This ideology is also mosaic and cannot be reduced to 'neo-Communism' or Russian nationalism. Thus, the Transnistrian national project is open for all post-Soviet ethnic groups. Rapid reunification of the two banks seems impossible because their national projects have not just different contents, but different structures. Moldova should first decide on its vision of the national project and then build its policy towards Pridnestrovie and the EU on this ground. Without it, the conflict cannot be resolved in the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines some dimensions of the ethical-moral nature of the Moldovans from the work of Dimitrie Cantemir "Description of Moldovia" such as: being proud of their nation (Moldovans), truth reflection, the cultivation of good habits, the passive attitude of the Moldovans towards "science" (learning), Moldovans' hospitality, military mastery, patriotism, the devotion towards church and Christian faith. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the understanding of the westward migration of Eastern European women, by comparing Moldovan and Ukrainian women in Italy - the most popular destination for both groups - where they are mainly employed as domestic workers and home carers. Focusing on the differences in their trajectories in this labour sector, we discuss the significance of their age at emigration and their role within their families of origin. These have an impact not only on their mobility patterns, but also on their choices of employment and general socio-cultural integration in the host country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on ethnographic research among transnational Moldovan households in Moscow, this essay considers how ideals of belonging, assertions of historically inflected rights, and aspirations for mobility are all part of the everyday practice of citizenship. Mobile subjects encountering increasingly restrictive post-Soviet citizenship regimes often recall incorporation into a greater historical polity than their current passports would suggest. Three key areas are examined: the intersection of citizenship regimes and popular understandings of belonging; the sense of rights driven by cultural logics informed by previous history; and the way in which ideals and practices of citizenship are diverse among migrants from apparently homogeneous migration streams. The post-Soviet context where the Soviet promise of enfranchisement continues to inform how people on the margins view citizenship illustrates just how deeply citizenship regimes come to be incorporated into popular understandings of belonging even long after formal citizenship ceases to exist. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We have identified Romanian regional differences in the 17th-19th centuries: Moldavian aristocratism opened to the West and the Wallachian democratism opened to the Balkans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes aspects related to family structure and kinship (in particularly, to relations between parents and children, but other types than the blood relations) and the influences they had on seventeenth-century Moldavian society. In the first part, the focus is on the practice of adoption that is mainly mentioned in documents through the expression taking into one's soul and has as its main purpose ensuring posterity and implicitly transmitting patrimony. This analysis is based on juridical disposition and diverse types of documents conserved referring to this practice, trying to outline the importance of this gesture in Early Modern Moldavian society and the nature of the reasons which caused the individual to choose this lineage manner. Also, for a better understanding of the role and the amount of the patrimony inherited by the adopted children in the destiny of a family and its social implications, the method of comparing the adoption in contrast with other spiritual kinships, especially with baptismal sponsorship, has been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper links migration, cross-border mobility and return for development, in terms of citizenship, identity and approach to Europeanization. Taking into account the global changes in Moldova, the paper examines the perceptions of migration/mobility, return and identity of the Moldovans engaged in emigration in the countries of the European Union (EU). Using a multi-discipline approach and an in-depth qualitative interview technique, this article analyses from a transnational perspective how migration/mobility and return can support social change and development in Moldova and argues that people who cross EU borders, and who live through the experience of emigration, acquire a pro-European mentality. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Moldavian dragonhead ( Dracocephalum moldavica L.), due to its pleasant lemon scent and medical effects, has acquired increasing impact as functional food. The high diversity within the genus, limited supply not keeping pace with the growing demand, the morphological similarity with other Labiatae, and trading under the common name Turkish Melissa invite adulteration by surrogate species. We have developed several verified reference accessions of D. moldavica L. along with potential surrogate species to compare different approaches of authentication, also in commercial samples. We report on three strategies of authentication-a microscopic method, based on the relative size of epidermal pavement cells versus palisade cells, and two strategies of genetic authentication based on the barcoding marker large subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase oxygenase (rbcL). We can detect single-nucleotide exchanges between D. moldavica L. and the potential surrogate species Melissa officinalis L. and Nepeta cataria L. by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and we show that we can use this to verify the presence of D. moldavica even in dried and highly fragmented mixtures from commercial samples. We further develop a third strategy derived from the so-called amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS), based on multiplex PCR of the rbcL marker upon addition of specifically designed intermediate primers that will generate a diagnostic second band in case of D. moldavica L., but not for the surrogate species. We demonstrate that this ARMS approach is superior to the RFLP strategy, because it safeguards against experimental fluctuations, can unequivocally verify the presence of D. moldavica in commercial samples declaring its presence, and yields a clear outcome in a one-step protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors' intention is to bring to the notice of specialists a decorated discbutted axe recently discovered east of the Carpathians, in the Moldavian Plateau. This type of axe (A1, according to the established typologies), with few known items, is a typical discovery (mainly as a component of hoards or as an individual find) for the Middle Bronze Age from the area west of the Carpathians — the Wietenberg, Suciu de Sus and Otomani-Füzesabony cultures. The microscopic investigations on the decoration techniques prove the ability of the metallurgical craftsmen to handle complex alloys, as well as a refined artistic sense, qualities used to achieve a certain impressive appearance. The corroboration of all available data on this artefact offers new possibilities for revealing the social and symbolic function of the disc-butted axes of the Bronze Age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Danubius is the property of Danubius and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Our text aims to achieve the moral profile of Moldavians in "Descriptio Moldaviae", where are revealed real qualities of a psychoanalyst, capturing the essence of the character of his people. In "Descriptio Moldaviae", Dimitrie Cantemir has asserted that the Moldavians are open, good-humoured but fickle, prone to squabbling and prideful people, despising learning but adept to battle, merrymakers, hospitable and, like everyone, they believe in faith. Therefore, Cantemir proves to be an astute observer of the mind set of simple people and their customs and beliefs. Highly significant are the information related to the nation's religious ceremonial and superstitions ("Despre religia moldovenilor" About the Moldavians religion), as well as his theory regarding the Latin succession of the Romanian Language. In order to prove that the Romanian Language has kept a Latin element, more so than the Italian Language, the writer has completed his first file of comparative philology. Based on these theories, Cantemir was seeking to highlight the noble origin of Romanians as direct descendants of Romans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our text aims to achieve the moral profile of Moldavians in "Descriptio Moldaviae", where are revealed real qualities of a psychoanalyst, capturing the essence of the character of his people. In "Descriptio Moldaviae", Dimitrie Cantemir has asserted that the Moldavians are open, good-humoured but fickle, prone to squabbling and prideful people, despising learning but adept to battle, merrymakers, hospitable and, like everyone, they believe in faith. Therefore, Cantemir proves to be an astute observer of the mind set of simple people and their customs and beliefs. Highly significant are the information related to the nation's religious ceremonial and superstitions ("Despre religia moldovenilor" "About the Moldavians religion), as well as his theory regarding the Latin succession of the Romanian Language. In order to prove that the Romanian Language has kept a Latin element, more so than the Italian Language, the writer has completed his first file of comparative philology. Based on these theories, Cantemir was seeking to highlight the noble origin of Romanians as direct descendants of Romans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the social identity of Moldovans in Romania and the impact of personal relational web on identity deconstruction. It designs a model that allows to explore the character of social identity of Moldovans in Romania and to observe if a specific type of personal relational web influences identity deconstruction. The analysis uses primary data (questionnaires and interviews). Results show that Moldovans do have a different social identity from Romanians and that identity can be influenced by a diverse personal relational web. Moldovans have different perception about themselves at the both, fundamental and additional group beliefs levels. At the level of fundamental group beliefs, Moldovan social identity can be "weakened" if a person will have a relational web which includes Moldovans and Romanians alike, and if he has no preference with whom to interact or whom to trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The integration in the European Union is a reality for some countries and a purpose for others. This process generates a lot of benefits for an EU member but also involves important costs. The research investigates the opinion of two different people (Romanian and Moldavian) about the perceived effects of EU integration. The results show that Moldavians are more interested in European Union then Romanians. For Moldavians, the independent economy is considered to be the greatest advantage of their country not being integrated in UE. The perceived disadvantages are the lack of free movement, corruption and low level of general development. For Romanians, the most important perceived advantage for integration in EU is free movement. The biggest disadvantage is that foreign sellers have more benefits then local sellers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the discourses on national identity of the inhabitants of Cahul city, situated at the border of the Republic of Moldova with Romania (and therefore the European Union). Since borders and identities are strongly connected, this research observes Moldovans citizens discourses of identification through the lens of their perspective on the border. The interviews and focusgroups show that two different discourses can be identified. At one hand, for a minority of Moldovans that have been interviewed, the border is an artificial delimitation, as Romanians and Moldovans resemble. On the other hand, for the large majority, the border is at the right place and it separates two different states and their citizens, even if there are some common characteristics that Romanians and Moldovans share. Therefore, this article underlines that a common and differentiated "we" can be found in the everyday discourses and practices of Moldovan citizens living at the border [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To legitimize separation from Moldova, Transnistrian elites have been constructing a civic Transnistrian nation, subsuming local ethnic Russian, Ukrainian, and Moldovan identities. This article first identifies changes to the Transnistrian nation-building strategy: from an emphasis on Moldovan nationhood in the early 1990s to oppose “Romanianization” in Chisinau, to Transnistrian nationhood mainly after Moldovanism was adopted in Chisinau in 2001. It then shows how this multiethnic nation is being constructed, with a particular emphasis on the place of Transnistrian Moldovans. While the Moldovan identity category is being institutionalized as a part of the Transnistrian civic nation, its ecological niches are being emptied of Romanian/Bessarabian attributes and invested with Russianness. As a result, “Moldovan” now seems an empty identity category in Transnistria. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper discusses the Moldovan ‘scientific diaspora’ made up of students, researchers and those engaged in professional activities abroad, and their propensity to either return or engage in home-country development initiatives. Moldova has suffered a significant loss of its qualified personnel since 1991, due to a difficult political transition and current low level of development. An online survey, supplemented by follow-up interviews, enabled the authors to outline the parameters of the Moldovan scientific diaspora and its current and potential future transnational activities. Although skilled Moldovans do feel positive about their study and work experiences abroad, they are also keen to help in the development of their home country. However, several determinants are necessary to make this happen: information about institutional initiatives, political stability, improved socio-economic prospects and an adequate infrastructure, a shared vision of the diaspora role, as well as specific instruments for engagement. Policy options are discussed in the conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Danubius is the property of Danubius and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The genealogical imaginary is a subcategory of the imaginary referring to the origin and it comprises a wide range of genealogical myths: fictitious ancestors, whether divine or human, fabulous kinships, invented genealogies, descendancies which are impossible to certify with documents, erroneous interpretations of certain degrees of kinship, real genealogies that have received unexpected interpretations and historiographic cliché s grown on more or less attestable genealogies. The case of the Balş family is one of the most interesting: trying to integrate in the political structures of the Austrian and Russian Empire, some members of this old Moldavian family invent a fictitious genealogy that links the French counts of Baux, the Balsa family, a Serbian medieval dynasty and the Balşfamily, Moldavian boyars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE REIGN OF MIHAIL STURDZA REPRESENTED, FROM SEVERAL POINT OF VIEW, A PARTICULAR STAGE IN THE HISTORY OF THE MOLDAVIAN CHURCH. THE CHANGES THAT THE ORGANIC REGULATION AND THE FOLOWING LEGISLATION HAVE MADE, STRENGTHENED STATE CONTROL OVER THE MANAGEMENT OF THE CHURCH INCOME. THE INTERFERENCE OF THE STATE AND MICHAEL STURDZA HIMSELF IN CHURCH AFFAIRS WAS, IN FACT, A CHARACTERISTIC OF HIS ENTIRE REIGN. MIHAIL STURDZA'S DRAFT LAWS REGARDING THE INCOME OF THE CHURCH, THE UNFAIR ESTATE EXCHANGES IMPOSED TO METROPOLITAN, AND OTHER ABUSES, HAVE LED TO A STRONG TACIT CONFLICT BETWEEN THE METROPOLITAN AND THE RULER. UNABLE TO OPPOSE MIHAIL STURDZA, WHO WANTED THE PROMULGATION OF A LAW FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF CHURCH INCOME, THE METROPOLITAN VENIAMIN COSTACHE RESIGNED. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article makes use of several Slav bibliographical references in order to suggest that a birth ritual may be associated to the old god Rod. The name of the custom is rodini and it is familiar mainly to Moldavian inhabitant from the northern region, as a result of the cultural contact with the Slavic peoples. Etymology and the use of various examples from Slav languages seem to suggest that the birth deity from the first centuries after Christ left us a lexical inheritance. All the gestures performed by the women visiting the newly born and its mother imply an oblation, both of a pragmatic meaning and of a spiritual one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The military innovations of the early modern period had a considerable influence on the Transylvanian principality. In the Sixteenth and Seventeenth century most European armies had compact groups of foreign soldiers, recruited for their efficiency and their ability to use the new weapons of that period. For similar reasons the Transylvanian rulers employed foreign soldiers, usually as a part of their guard. Although he was not considered a strong prince, with remarkable political or military accomplishments, Michael Apafi had a significant group of mercenaries at his disposal. According to the official documents of the princely court from the period 1663-1684, the army of the court consisted of: two units of German soldiers, one unit of Seimeni (Walachians, Moldavians and Serbs), one unit of Hungarian soldiers, three units of Polish soldiers (the so called French companies) and 10-13 of Hungarian cavalry units. Maintaining this small standing army, in spite the high costs it involved, is a poof of Apafi's intention to restore the political influence and prestige of Transylvania. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people's education in the period following World War I represented a key element in completing the unification process. That is why the Romanisation (the attempt to instil a distinctively Romanian character) of schools in the newly-joined provinces was a priority for interwar governments. High schools occupied a special place in this process, as they were a primary means of training the future intellectuals and specialists needed by the new Romanian state. Considering these premises, the present study aims at reconstructing the profile of the Jewish school population attending the Northern Moldavian high schools, at the same time analysing the way in which this minority was integrated in the Romanian institutional framework of the schools situated in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]