WHAT A MODERN INTERCULTURAL-BASED RFL TEXTBOOK SHOULD LOOK LIKE

The outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the cancel culture that consequently affected Russian culture confront us with the need to question how Russian culture should henceforth be presented, starting with the very textbooks of Russian as a foreign language (RFL), which have always performed the task of conveying to learners a certain image of Russia. This article is devoted to the topic of the modern intercultural RFL textbook. The research question is: what should RFL textbooks look like henceforth? Additionally, what principles should they be based on and what content should they present to enhance a non-stereotypical idea of the Russian world? This article is divided into four parts. Part 1 introduces the topic, the research question, and the work structure. Part 2 offers the theoretical framework, within which a new idea of the intercultural dimension is outlined, which is complex, historicized, flexible, and transnational, and where the multiple identities of individuals play an important role. In Part 3, the principles on which this new RFL textbook is based are identified. General principles of a formal-compositional nature, based on theories, methodologies, and practices of foreign language studies and RFL, are distinguished, as well as intercultural-specific principles of a content-based nature, built on the new conception of the intercultural dimension previously illustrated. Finally, in Part 4, conclusions are drawn. The author also expresses her hope that this article will pave the way for new avenues of investigation related to RFL textbook theory.