A taste of home: Exploring migrating food heritage and food information practices

What food makes us feel at home? What makes a food recipe authentic offline and online?

 Food is a basic human need, a source of nutrients to support life and growth, and a key component in shaping our culture, identity and belonging. It is part of our daily routines and plays a key role in socialisation.

 Food traditions are also a type of Intangible Cultural Heritage, characterised by a dynamic, ephemeral and heterogeneous nature, embodied practices, community-based participation. Patterns of continuities, resistance and changes in food preferences can offer insights into acculturation, assimilation, adaption, integration and quality of life in diasporic and migrating contexts.

Cooking, eating and sharing food is a powerful way to learn more about and appreciate different cultures, recognising differences but also similarities in our own culture within a global world characterised by migration and mobility. When people move and migrate to new places, food traditions move with them and evolve along the way. Nevertheless, ‘authentic’ food traditions represent a major source of revenue for food industries . This poses challenging questions for food appropriation dynamics, and also traditional approaches to heritage curation and authenticity.

This PhD research will consider the nature of food traditions and authenticity in relation to how selected iconic ingredients and recipes are recorded, curated, shared, and reperformed in offline and online environments. Grounded in emergent Information Science studies in recipes, health, nutrition, and Human Food Interaction, the project will expand to situate cross-country and cross-community food traditions and authenticity within a framework of Information Behaviour, Cultural Heritage, and Human Computer Interaction.

The study will contribute to increasing understanding of how to support food heritage traditions, food information needs, and human food interactions of migrant and diasporic communities in a physical and digital world.

Requirements:

Essential:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree (2:1 or above) in relevant fields such as Library and Information Studies, Heritage Studies, Digital Humanities, Human Computer Interaction, or related disciplines
• English language proficiency. For international students IELTS (Academic) requirements should be 6.0 overall (no individual band less than 5.5).
• Strong communication skills.
• Understanding of and familiarity with qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

Desirable:

• Prior experience in intangible cultural heritage and/or information behaviour research.
• Experience of ethnographic research approaches
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Creative problem-solving skills and a passion for exploring an interdisciplinary topic. 

How to Apply:

Interested candidates should email Dr. Perla Innocenti (perla.innocenti@strath.ac.uk) to express interest and discuss their proposal, including the following attachments:

• Cover letter detailing contact information, motivation, background, and proposed research direction (max 3 pages).
• Up-to-date CV.

Suitable candidates will be invited to formally apply for a PhD via https://www.strath.ac.uk/courses/research/computerinformationsciences/ , submitting an agreed research proposal, CV, Transcripts and certificates of all degree; two reference contacts of which one academic.

Research environment:

The Department of Computer and Information Sciences (CIS) is one of five Departments within the Faculty of Science, one of the four Faculties within the University of Strathclyde. CIS is interdisciplinary, encompassing Computer Science, Information Science, and Digital Health.

We have six research groups (Strathclyde iSchool, Mathematically Structured Programming, Cybersecurity, Digital Health and Wellness, Artificial Intelligence, Computer Science Education) and support research-led teaching. We hold an Athena SWAN bronze award in recognition of our commitment to making CIS more equitable, inclusive, and welcoming for all staff and students.

The University of Strathclyde was established in 1796 as “the place of useful learning”. This remains at the forefront of our vision today for Strathclyde to be a leading international technological university that makes a positive difference in the lives of its students, society and the world. Strathclyde was the first institute to win the coveted Times Higher Education “University of the Year” award twice, in 2012 and 2019; it has won the Queen Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education in 1996, 2019, 2021 & 2023, and has been voted the Scottish University of the Year in 2020 and 2024. The University is committed to inclusion across race, gender, age, religion, identity, and experience, and believes that diversity makes us stronger by bringing in new ideas and perspectives. It holds an Athena SWAN Silver award.