Moldovans: Difference between revisions

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	{{otheruses}}
	{{Ethnic group\|
	\|group=Moldovans<br>(Moldoveni)
	\|image=
	\|poptime= ca. 3,200,000
	\|popplace=]:<br>2,741,849 (2004) (] included) <br>]:<br />258,619 (2001) <br>]:<br />172,330 (2002) <br />]:<br />19,458 (1999)<br />
	]:<br /> 10,434 (2006) <br />
	]:<br />4,300 (1999) <br />]:<br />778 (1999) <br />]:<br />300 (2000)
	\|langs=]/]
	\|rels=Predominantly ].
	\|related=• ]<br/>
	• ]<br/>
	• ]<br/>
	• ]<br/>
	• ]<br/>
	• other ]
	note:Many Moldovans declare themselves Romanians
	}}

	'''Moldovans''', or '''Moldavians''' (]/]: ''Moldoveni''; ''Молдовень'' is the form used by the ], which nowadays has official status only in the ] of ]) are the native population in, depending on one's interpretation, all or part of the lands that correspond to the former ].

	The recognition of Moldovans as a separate ethnicity, distinct from ], is a relatively new and controversial subject. Before the annexation of ] by the ] in ], there was no such thing as a recognized Moldovan ethnic group. Today, outside of Moldova, this group is recognized as a minority ethnic group by several ] countries.

	The majority of Moldovans live in the ] where, according to the ], they officially comprise 76.1% of the population<ref name=mold-census></ref>, and in ], where according to the 2001 Ukrainian census results they constitute a recognized ] of 0.53%.<ref name=ukr-census>, , , 2001 census results in Ukraine</ref> This definition is a matter of much controversy.

	==History==
	Prior to the ] occupation of Bessarabia in the 1940s, which led to the formation of the ] Moldovans in the territories of modern Romania and Moldova were considered to form a subgroup or regional group of the ] ethnos along with ]ns, ]ns, etc.<ref>King, pg. 2</ref> A series of ] ] campaigns attempted to erase the links between Moldova and Romania in order to dissuade any ideas of re-unification of the two states, including an emphasized 'distinct' "]", history, culture etc. and the claim that Moldovans constitute a separate ethnic group.<ref name=page3> King, pg. 3</ref> Numerous Romanians, as well as a large part of the Moldovan populace, claim that external interference rather than any actual differences led to Moldova's increasingly separate identity.<ref name="page3" />

	Despite this, certain Moldovans have pressed for recognition of an ethnic Moldovan identity, separate from that of Romanians. Nevertheless, in the ], about 40% of the population of Moldova (55% of all Moldovans<ref>Critics of the 2004 Moldovan Census suggest that many who declared their ethnicity as ''Moldovan'' rather than ''Romanian'' may have done so due to a misunderstanding of the question asked, and/or due to social pressure or direct encouragement from enumerators.</ref> and Romanians in Moldova) reported Romanian as a native tongue, rather than Moldovan.

	==Religion==
	Some differences between Moldovans and Romanians include denominational affiliation, as under Soviet rule the Orthodox Church of Bessarabia was transferred from the ] to the ]. However, immediately after Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union, the Romanian Orthodox Church reorganized the Moldovan Metropolitan Church under its authority, forming the autonomous ] (Romanian/Moldovan: "Mitropolia Basarabiei"). Moldovans are now split between the Metropolitan Church of Bessarabia and the ] which depends on the ].

	==Moldovan ethnos theory and the Romanian identity==
	In the past, the term Moldavian/Moldovan has been used to refer to the population of the historical Principality of Moldavia. Nevertheless, after 1924, Soviet sociologists began using the term to demonstrate the distinctiveness of the natives of ], in a movement called '']''. On December 19, 2003, the ] adopted "The Concept on National Policy of the Republic of Moldova" which critics have accused is a revival of the Soviet-style Moldovenist theories. The document states that Moldovans and Romanians are two distinct peoples and speak two different languages, Romanians form an ethnic minority in Moldova, and that the Republic of Moldova is the legitimate successor to the Principality.<ref>Gribincea A., Grecu, M. UNHCR. </ref>

	Today, Moldovans are recognized as an ] by several former Soviet countries. Presently, the largest number of people who declared their ethnicity as Moldovan live in the Republic of Moldova, where according to the 2004 Census, they comprise 76.1% of the population<ref name="mold-census" />, although a group of international census experts has identified certain problems in the collection of data for this census, particularly in the domain of nationality (that is, Romanian vs. Moldovan) and language.<ref> , ''Moldova Azi'', May 19, 2005, story attributed to ]. Retrieved October 11, 2005. </ref> These experts claim that many respondents were ''encouraged'' to state that they were ''"Moldovans"'' rather than ''"Romanians"''. In Ukraine, according to that country's census in 2001, Moldovans constitute a recognized ethnic minority of 0.53% (7.28% in ] and 5.01% in ]).<ref name=ukr-census> </ref>

	=== Controversy ===
	The issue is an extremely sensitive and controversial one. Even within the Republic of Moldova there is disagreement on whether Moldovans represent a distinct ethnic group, as demonstrated by the political platforms of parties such as the ]. In ], despite its proximity to Moldova, no Moldovan ethnicity was reported in the 2002 census, as Moldovans are understood to be a regional Romanian subgroup that lives in the Romanian historical province of ].<ref></ref> The Romanian government<ref>The Moldovan identity is understood as purely regional in Romania, like ]n, ]n or ]n.</ref> as well as various other states do not recognize the existence of a Moldovan ethnic group. For example, in the ], no difference is made between the two, as can be seen in the ].<ref> CIA World Factbook. Retrieved ], ]</ref>

	== See also ==
	*]

	== Notes ==
	<div class="references-small">
	<references />
	</div>

	== References ==
	<div class="references-small">
	*King, C. The Moldovans: Romania, Russia and the Politics of Culture, Hoover Institution Press, 2000, ISBN 0-8179-9792-X.
	</div>

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Revision as of 22:13, 29 November 2006

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