Alexander Slawik

Alexander Slawik (27 December 1900 – 19 April 1997) was a sociological scientist, ethnologist, Nazi and professor in Vienna, who also worked on cultural themes. He was a pioneer of Japanology and Japanese ethnological studies in Vienna in the 1930's. During the Second World War, Slawik worked as a cryptographer and translator on the Japanese desk of the Cipher Department of the High Command of the Wehrmacht. He continued to work in his old age, and, up until his death, was working on collecting material for a work on the Susanoo-no-Mikoto and the cultural history of the Izumo area in ancient Japan. This institute was donated by Baron Mitsui Takaharu (高原 高原) in 1938. Masao became the chair of the Institute for Japanese Studies which began to take students in April 1939, while Slawik became his assistant.

When World War II began, he was conscripted into the Wehrmacht.

Through his efforts to preserve the Japan Institute and particularly its library, he gained the trust of the anthropologist, Professor Wilhelm Koppers, who was director of the Institute of Ethnology at the University of Vienna. Starting from 1948 he was appointed as an assistant Professor, then assistant to Koppers, particularly with the establishment of the library at the university. He later became the head of a Japan department. From 1964 he was promoted to Professor extraordinarius, within the Institute of Ethnology, which was transferred to an independent institute for Japanese studies in 1965. He was the director until his retirement in 1971. Honorary Cross for Science and Art 1st Class Gold decoration for services to the state of Vienna