Frode Barkved. Writing a research article on «Conceptions of history and history teaching in Waldorf Schools, part 2». Funding: 35000 NOK (2019)

Introduction

In 2017 I was supported by NORENSE to write an academic article on «Conception of history and history teaching in Waldorf Schools». This resulted in an article published in RoSE, in early spring 2018.

In the RoSE-article I dealt with conceptions of history and history teaching in the Waldorf School, focusing particularly on terms like eurocentrism, evolution of consciousness and culture epoch theory. I emphasised initially that Steiner’s conception of history is multifaceted and comprehensive and that the limited space of the article wouldn’t be sufficient in covering its esoteric elements. Some important elements that were left out were Steiner’s descriptions of spiritual, macrocosmic relations to the evolution of consciousness and history.

In this new article (part 2) it is my aim to explore in more detail what was left out in the previous one, starting with the abovementioned theme of the relationship between the macrocosmic and the microcosmic, and how Steiner accounts for their influence on history.

Furthermore, I will examine the extent to which one can find Steiner’s perspectives on the abovementioned theme elsewhere in the history of ideas or within academic research. This will in turn be viewed in relationship to Waldorf pedagogy.

It is a critical question, which might highlight some problematic areas to ask if Steiner’s esoteric perspectives affect the history teaching, and if so, to what degree. On that note, I will give reference to the ways in which this question has been reflected upon in the literature of Waldorf pedagogy, as well as highlighting parts of an empirical work from a master’s thesis on the subject (Barkved, 2016). The empirical part consisted of interviews with five experienced Waldorf teachers giving their thoughts, among other things, on the concerns presented above.

My research question will be: – What are the main concepts and ideas of Steiner’s esoteric approach to history, where do one find his perspectives elsewhere in the history of ideas, and how do waldorf teachers deal with it in their history teaching?

The article will – what the method concern – be a theoretical as well as, referring to my master thesis, an empirical one.

The article was published in RoSE and can be downloaded here. The first article (Views of history and history teaching in Waldorf education) can be downloaded here.