Formal Hopf algebra theory I: Hopf modules for pseudomonoids

In this article we develop some of the basic constructions of the theory of Hopf algebras in the context of autonomous pseudomonoids in monoidal bicategories. We concentrate on the notion of Hopf modules. We study the existence and the internalisation of this notion, called the Hopf module construction. Our main result is the equivalence between the existence of a left dualization for A (i.e., A is left autonomous) and the validity of an analogue of the structure theorem of Hopf modules. In this case a Hopf module construction for A always exists. We recover from the general theory developed here results on coquasi-Hopf algebras.