Social Representations of Russian Cuisine in Multinational University Students

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a study on the social representations about the Russian national cuisine in the modern Russian and international students. A total of 331 respondents took part in the research, including 246 Russian students and 75 international students of various departments of a multinational university (Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, PFUR). They completed a four-part interview on the Russian cuisine. The concept of “social representation” by S.Moscovici and the structural approach by J.-C.Abric were used for data analysis. There are many similarities in the structure of social representations of Russian cuisine in Russian and the international students. The main difference is that the structure of social representations of the international students does not include the elements related to the history and traditions of Russian cuisine. Information about the traditions of Russian cuisine can be included in the program of Russian language study for help of intercultural communication and adaptation of international students.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2013.v4n11p413