Romain Lefebvre

Presentation

My research focuses on the religious, literary, technical, and scientific aspects of the Tangut kingdom’s society (1038–1227).

At the Bibliothèque nationale de France, within the Service of World Manuscripts, I am in charge of the Chinese collections (including Pelliot Dunhuang manuscripts and Maurice Courant collection), as well as the Japanese and Korean collections. I am also responsible for the Tangut, Tibetan, Manchu, Uyghur and Mongolian documents.

Research thematics

• The history and philology of the Tanguts (Western Xia, 1038–1227)
• The study, conservation, and promotion of Chinese, Japanese, and Korean collections, while developing research on Dunhuang manuscripts, scholarly traditions, the history of science, and cultural exchanges in East Asia.

CRCAO research programmes

• Historical anthropology of the margins of the Chinese empire

Teachings

• Introducing Tangut history and philology