Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Language Matters: The Causal Role of Linguistic Identity in "Ethnic" Mobilization in Moldova

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This project investigates the relationship between linguistic identity, an individual's proficiency and identification with relevant languages, and support for political mobilization and separatism. It focuses on the populations of the Moldovan regions of Gagauzia and Transnistria, an area of strategic importance whose conflict has witnessed involvement by Europe and Russia. Increasing our understanding of how identity links to conflict situations has serious implications for the development of democracy and stable societies. This research will produce several important intellectual contributions related to identity and its consequences. Linguistic identity influences an individual's political proclivities because it may limit the ability to join certain identity groups: learning a new language is difficult, while developing native-level fluency is often impossible for adults. As a result, an individual's linguistic knowledge can permanently mark the individual as either belonging or not belonging to certain groups. Under some conditions, individuals who lack the necessary linguistic abilities for group membership may attempt to better their situation by raising the status of a group to which they belong, or by creating a state in which this group will be protected. Though language is often conflated with ethnicity, the two Moldovan cases indicate that linguistic and ethnic identities can operate independently in relation to separatist mobilization; the cases thus serve as ideal laboratories for assessing the relationship between language and political behavior. The project uses a unique survey instrument to investigate the role of linguistic identity in these two regions. By analyzing the relationship between different forms of identity and perceptions of discrimination and life-opportunities, this project will determine whether or not language is actually perceived to block upward mobility in a society. By assessing the impact of different forms of linguistic identity (i.e. identification vs. proficiency) in relation to support for separatism and mobilization, it will investigate how this identity can motivate willingness to mobilize and provides a new avenue for research on identity-based conflict. The project also features important broader impacts. As ethnic conflicts remain widespread, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms by which such conflicts arise. Furthermore, separatism in Moldova is itself important: as recent territorial struggles in the Republic of Georgia proved, post-Soviet territorial conflicts can have worldwide repercussions. The research will enhance our understanding of conflict processes, an essential part of informing foreign policy decision-making.