This thesis focuses on the analysis of the systemic change in the Republic of Moldova. It uses the issue of social capital from Pierre Bourdieu's perspective on the concept to analyze the diversity of strategies and paths of "intellectuals" - defined as such in Moldovan society of Soviet type by holding university diplomas and being non-manual workers - in the post- socialism. Based on the results of two surveys, of questionnaire and of semi-structured interview, this work highlights the idea that this diversity may generate the particular features of post-socialist Moldovan capitalism. It breaks with teleological and universalist vision of a system to consider the issue taking its own specific institutional, historical, political, cultural characteristics. Adopting a socio-historical approach and combining different fields of social sciences, this thesis proposes a comparative overview of the path of these "intellectuals", from 1980 to 2000; a period that covers three specific regimes of accumulation: first, corresponding to the end of the traditional socialist system, second, to the reforming socialist system, and third, Moldovan post- socialist system. It shows that the tensions caused by the different regimes of allocation and distribution of resources can be regulated by the volume of social capital accumulated by individuals. Thus, the issue of social capital appears as central, and shows how the institutional dynamics and social action are articulated.
