Created: 2025.08.12. 11:38
Széchenyi István University, in collaboration with the University of Oxford, is hosting a text reading and analysis workshop on the Middle Bengali language until mid-August, attended by researchers of Bengali from 11 countries. The international scholarly programme has drawn experts from the United States, India, Bangladesh, France, and Canada, among others, who will jointly study writings from various historical periods and spanning numerous genres.
Bengali is spoken by approximately 260 million people worldwide. Between 5 and 15 August, Széchenyi István University, working in partnership with the University of Oxford – ranked among the top institutions in international higher education league tables – is welcoming scholars specialising in this field. The academic workshop, dedicated to the study and analysis of Middle Bengali texts, was initiated by Dr Imre Bangha, a native of Győr and a member of the Hindi Faculty at the University of Oxford.
Experts have arrived from 11 countries, including the United States, India, Bangladesh, France, Canada, Italy, and Singapore. The keynote speakers include Professor Rebecca Manring from the Department of Religious Studies at Indiana University, and Professor Thibaut d’Hubert, a researcher at the University of Chicago specialising in South Asian languages and civilisations.
A group of participants in the Middle Bengali academic workshop. (Photo: András Adorján)
At the opening ceremony, Dr Eszter Lukács, Vice-President for International Affairs and Strategic Relations at Széchenyi István University, stressed the importance of academic events that bring together distinguished representatives of their fields from across the globe.
“This event is especially valuable, as the Middle Bengali workshop is organised jointly with the University of Oxford through Professor Imre Bangha. It is a source of pride for us that, in addition to competing against each other in rowing, we are also united by academic collaboration,” she said.
Dr Imre Bangha expressed his delight that, after several years break due to the COVID-19 pandemic, his hometown could host the 2025 workshop.
“Bengali culture is particularly close to nature, so during the programme we will be holding academic sessions both indoors and outdoors. Győr is an ideal location for this, as the campus on the banks of the Mosoni-Danube creates a special atmosphere,” he explained. He revealed a personal connection to Széchenyi István University, recalling that it was here, during his primary school years, that he first saw a computer.
Over the 11-day event, participants will engage with Bengali linguistic and cultural treasures through text-reading sessions. These will take place at the University’s Management Campus and at Czuczor Gergely Benedictine Secondary School in Győr. The workshop is complemented by an exciting range of extracurricular activities, including visits to Pannonhalma Archabbey, the Bakony Hills and Lake Balaton, as well as a special canoe trip along the Danube’s backwaters.
