Genesis, dissemination, and translation of Rudolf Steiner’s Waldorf pedagogy

Abstract

In this article a bibliographic analysis of the work of Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) and also of the so-called Waldorf pedagogy is conducted. The aim is to offer a road map for those who are interested in studying this pedagogical trend, as well as the genesis of the anthroposophical thinking of Steiner himself. The structure of this article takes as a reference the history of the anthroposophy movement and especially the Waldorf pedagogy and contains three parts. The first addresses The intellectual trajectory of Rudolf Steiner: from scientific activity to esotericism, as it is from a biographical study that the main stages of thought of the leader of anthroposophy are to be located. The dissemination and translation of the pedagogic work of Steiner is the title of the second part. In this, the foundational texts of the Waldorf pedagogy and the way in which, through its international expansion, these texts became available in different languages is explored. The last section, Sources for the study of the Waldorf pedagogy, presents a set of editorial projects and bibliographic references published from this education model, as well as academic papers drawn up from the fields of knowledge of the philosophy, theory, and history of education.

Key words: Rudolf Steiner, Waldorf pedagogy, anthroposophy, historical genesis, international diffusion, bibliographic analysis.