Norbert Jokl
| Born: |
02-25-1877 |
| Faculty: |
Philosophical School |
| Category: |
Expelled teacher |
Norbert JOKL (born on February 25th, 1877 in Bisenz/Moravia [Bzenec/Czech Republic], died on May 6th, 1942 in Minsk/Soviet Union [Belarus]) was Pd. (ao. Prof.) for Indo-European Linguistics ('Indogermanische Sprachwissenschaft') at the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna.
Jokl, son of merchant, graduated from high school, enrolled at the Law School of the University of Vienna and finished his studies with the academic title Dr.jur. in 1901. In 1903 he began to work at the university library, studied linguistics at the Philosphical School of the University of Vienna and graduated in 1908. After that he devoted himself to the Albanian language, a linguistic field that had not been widely studied at the time.
In 1913 he was promoted 'Privatdozent' whose field was "Indo-European linguistics with special consideration to Albanian, Baltic and Slavic languages". In 1923 he received the title of an Associate professot (tit. ao. Prof.). At the university library he supervised the fields of Indo-Germanic and Finno-Ugrian linguistics. Because of his long-time employment at the library he received the honorary title of an senior librarian ('Oberstaatsbibliothekar') in 1928 and of a 'Hofrat' in 1937.
He was persecuted in times of Nazism as a Jew lost his position and was thrown out of the university on May 20th, 1938.
In order to have at least admittance to libraries, Jokl submitted an application to be equalized with "persons of mixed blood of 1st degree". But the application was rejected in 1940. His attempts to emigrate from Austria did not succeed, e.g. initiatives of Albanian national writer Gjergj Fishta and of the Italian albanologist Carlo Tagliavini, who tried to bring Jokl and his library to Albania, because the national socialists refused to give him an exit permit to Albania in 1941. In March1942 Jokl was arrested by the Gestapo in Vienna and transferred to the collection camp. Two months later he was deported to Maly Trostinec.
Despite Jokl bequeathing his library to Albania, it was confiscated and 'aryanized', supported by Viktor Christian, Dean of the Philosophical School of the University of Vienna, and Paul Heigl, the director general of the National Library of Austria. The exgtensive collection was handed to the national library 'as a loan' in 1942 was taken in possession in 1946.
On April 29, 1982 the Senate of the University of Vienna decided to inscribe Norbert Jokl's name to the board of honour of the University.
Lit.: Exhibition "Bedrohte Intelligenz – Von der Polarisierung und Einschüchterung zur Vertreibung und Vernichtung im NS-Regime", Vienna 2015; EMÖDI/TEICHL 1937; KILLY Bd. 5 1997; LEITNER 2010; RAMAJ 2007; SIMON 2008; YVON 2003.
Katharina Kniefacz
