Living, not leaving the village: place attachment and rural livelihoods in the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

The Republic of Moldova has been drastically affected by depopulation, especially in rural areas. Nevertheless, in regions with a winegrowing tradition and emerging rural tourism, a large part of the active labour force is motivated to stay and not migrate. In order to gain insights into how some rural areas can withstand potentially detrimental population dynamics, this paper explores the interaction of rural residents with the local environment, and their acquirement of a sense of place and rootedness in a Moldovan winegrowing region. Drawing on ethnographic methods, this paper analyses data collected through participant observation and narrative interviews during one year of fieldwork carried out predominantly in one village in southeastern Moldova. The ethnographic perspective provides a holistic understanding of the existing narratives and individual circumstances that support staying in this rural area through the lens of place attachment. In particular, we analyze the interplay between local identities, place-making, and population dynamics. Results show that the presence of a long tradition in both industrial and artisanal wine production plays an important role in the interlocutors’ attachment to this place. Nevertheless, other aspects such as owning or building a house, family cohesion, owning land, or appreciating the landscape and rural lifestyle are at least as important in their decision to stay. The presence of a recognized ‘taste of place’ expressed in wine and other local foods is an embodied, sensory experience of place that accompanies the cluster of socio-economic and ecological dimensions of place attachment.