SUMMARY:

The author singles out the Republic of Moldova as the only post-Soviet state with a bi-directional concept of nationalism. Two political and historical trends – Moldovanism and Romanianism – have been competing for the right to define the nature and historical legitimacy of the newly acquired Moldovan independent statehood. Two parallel versions of post-Soviet Moldovan identity are formed as a result of this split. The article traces the intellectual and political genealogy of Moldovanism and Romanianism, the historical mythology behind them, and their current stages of development. While Romanianism prioritizes pan-Romanian linguistic identity and is ready to sacrifice independent statehood, a reformed (compared with old Soviet and contemporary Transnistrian versions) Moldovanism is the ideology of Moldovan independent statehood. As such, it has the potential to evolve into an inclusive concept of state-national identity for the citizens of independent Moldova regardless of their ethnic origin.