Raficka Hellal-Guendouzi, associate professor at EMSBS, received a dissertation award from the Augustin Cournot Doctoral School (ED 221), University of Strasbourg, during the fall doctoral day held on November 10, 2021.
This dissertation award was presented by the directors of the Augustin Cournot Doctoral School: Prof. Jocelyn Donze and Prof. Christophe J. Godlewski. It was awarded for the quality of her dissertation “Expériences d’expatriation, (multi)acculturation et comportements de consommation : Cas de l’acculturation alimentaire des expatriés professionnels et de leurs familles” as well as her other work (book chapters, articles, etc.), recognized by all, and her constant commitment to the scientific community.
Here is a short summary of her dissertation:
This PhD dissertation falls within the marketing field of consumer behavior. It takes a look at the process of food acculturation of highly qualified professional expatriates and their companions (children and spouses) temporarily settled in France. More specifically, we analyze the various cultural influences that come into play in the process of food acculturation of expatriate consumers and the resulting behaviors in the sphere of food purchases and consumption. Furthermore, we explore the dynamic process of food acculturation as it develops over time and space. To do this, we chose a qualitative approach using the life history method; 25 interviews were conducted with 16 households of American, British, and German expatriates temporarily living in Alsace.
We have identified four main modes of food acculturation that coexist according to the consumption context linked to situational acculturation: the “integration” mode, the “hyperculture” mode, the “cosmopolitan” mode, and the “mixed” mode. In addition, we have identified the motivations for and barriers to adopting each of these modes. We have highlighted the food acculturation process of expatriate consumers by identifying five phases of acculturation: a "honeymoon" phase, a “resistance” phase, a “crisis” phase, a “gradual adaptation” phase, and a “mature adaptation” phase. The order and importance of these phases differ according to the individual characteristics and cultural specificities of the expatriates. We have also brought forward four profiles of expatriates in a food acculturation situation: the “traditionalist,” the “bubble expatriate,” the “integrated nomadic expatriate,” and the “integrated nostalgic expatriate.”
Finally, the results of this research have made the development of a new dynamic and multidimensional model of consumer food acculturation possible.
We send her our warmest congratulations!