Back to Soviet Policies? Governing Multilingual Societies after the Fall of the Soviet Union: The Case of the Republic of Moldova

In a context marked by the rise to power of the Communist Party (2001-2009), this article explains the role of the Moldavian state in the linguistic field using a public policy analysis approach. Based both on qualitative method (interviews and press archives) and on a quantitative analysis of the legislation, it shows how the actors, driven by the need to find a language symbol of national identity, are going to make from the linguistic issue a full-fledged policy. Like any other type of public policy, the linguistic policy will benefit from its own program, instruments and institutions. By studying the Moldavian case, this article raises a broader question about the diffusion through public policy of identity norms in multilingual countries.