Present day Moldova is a case of disputed identity, where two ethnic nationalisms are battling over the name and content of the national identity of its inhabitants. This land, which was part of Principality of Moldavia, was named “Bessarabia” in the nineteenth century under Russians and Romanians, “Soviet Moldavia” under the Soviets, and “Moldova” today. This paper analyses this complex history, attempting to establish what decides such cases of disputed identity for the participants.
