Throughout the past two centuries, Moldova was the object of a variety of culture-building efforts from Russian, Romanian, and Soviet influences before emerging as an independent state in 1991. The author

• Highlights the political uses of culture—the ways in which language, history, and identity can be manipulated by political elites
• Examines why some attempts to mold identity succeed where others fail
• Reveals why, in the case of Moldova, a project of identity construction succeeded in creating a state but failed to make an independent nation

"Thoroughly researched, engagingly written, and completely up to date, this is a definitive book that will long serve as the best study of Moldova in any language . . . . Its strategic and precarious location between the Balkans and the former Soviet Union and its complex ethnic composition make Moldova a fragile new nation well worth knowing about."

Daniel Chirot, Professor of International Studies Jackson School of International Studies University of Washington

"An erudite and perceptive book. Required reading for all those who want to fathom the relationship between national identity, nation-building, political traditions, and cultural yearnings in one of eastern Europe's least known and understood countries. King uses historical, political, economic, and cultural approaches to challenge old stereotypes and to propose a novel, original perspective on the peoples of Bessarabia and Transnistria."

Vladimir Tismaneanu, Professor of Government and Politics University of Maryland (College Park)