মধ্যযুগের বাংলাসাহিত্য-গবেষণার ফরাসি পণ্ডিত ড. থিবো দুবের বিদ্যাবিনোদ French Scholar of Medieval Bengali LiteratureDr. Thibaut d’Hubert Vidyābinoda

Abstract

This report documents and contextualizes the conferment of the honorary title Vidyābinoda upon Dr. Thibaut d’Hubert, a distinguished French scholar of medieval Bengali literature, in recognition of his outstanding, long-term, and multilingual contributions to the study of Bengali literary and cultural history. Situating his work within the broader tradition of non-Bengali scholarship on Bangla language, literature, religion, and folklore, the report highlights how international researchers have transformed Bengali studies into a global field of humanistic inquiry.

Special emphasis is placed on Dr. Thibaut d’Hubert’s pioneering research on Middle Bengali poetry, particularly his seminal studies on the seventeenth-century poet Alaol and the Indo-Persian cultural milieu of Arakan, as well as his critical work on the Nūrnāma tradition in Persian, Arabic, and Bengali. His scholarly achievements—spanning textual criticism, cultural history, translation studies, and manuscript editing—are examined alongside his pedagogical and institutional roles in fostering global networks of Middle Bengali studies, including the Middle Bengali Retreat initiative.

The abstract also summarizes the ceremonial event organized by the UNESCO-accredited Vabnagar Foundation on 1 November 2025 in Dhaka, detailing the intellectual rationale behind the honor, the proceedings of the award ceremony, and the broader cultural performances that accompanied it. The conferment of the Vidyābinoda title upon Dr. Thibaut d’Hubert is presented as a significant milestone in the recognition of international scholarship on Bengali literature and as a model for strengthening transnational academic and cultural collaboration in Bengal studies.