Diversity for Sale?

In a region haunted by grave geopolitical tensions, Moldova’s nation branding is an overlooked research topic, despite the country’s long-standing self-promotion efforts. Addressing this gap, our article presents a critical discourse analysis of strategies undertaken by Invest Moldova Agency, the governmental institution in charge of Moldova’s brand communication. Here, beyond a traditional post-socialist melange of market-oriented and globalist discourse, we find a strategy to build a consistent self-image in high internal diversity. Although the presence of the separatist pro-Russian region of Transnistria disrupts the consistency of the image of Moldova as “transition society”, it also encourages the promoters to rethink the Soviet legacy. The article contributes to understanding commercial nationalism as a framework for managing political and cultural heterogeneity through commodification.