El pensamiento de Rudolf Steiner para la historiografía de la educación en el siglo XXI

Abstract

In the context of the twenty-first century, Rudolf Steiner's works (1861-1925) have a new meaning. In the performing arts, architecture, medicine, plastic arts, theology and social activism, his thought is being taken up again to formulate alternatives to the modern industrial development. Frequently labeled in the academic world as an eccentric and odd author, or even as an enlightened scholar, some of the principles assumptions by the father of anthroposophy are finding fertile soil in the systemic crisis of capitalism in the western world. Pedagogy was also an area in which Steiner worked with the intention to raise a viable alternative to the traditional schools. The educational model of the Waldorf schools, which started in 1919 in Germany, is the main fruit of his approach to pedagogy. It is important to mention that currently these schools are presented as one of the most outstanding educational networks that are a real alternative to educational systems in force. In the case of the Spanish context, it is a network in which a growing number of children are being educated in different regions. Nowadays there are 18 Waldorf schools, being 10 of them kindergartens. It must be added to these figures 17 Friendly Initiatives which are applying for legalization. This data explains that the scientific community of pedagogy is increasingly studying the Steiner's alternative in education. The target of this paper is to investigate one of the vertices of Steiner's thought, that generally has been unnoticed by historians of education. Thus, this work undertakes a study of the historiographical perspective developed by the intellectual father of anthroposophy in the lectures collected in his book The symptoms of modern history (1918). This is a book that presents not only a very particular theory to the study and knowledge of history, but also a critical perspective to the past of the educational institutions. This work aims to identify those aspects of Steiner's thought that are recoverable for academic discussion. In fact, most of these aspects are taking place in the current debate of historiography of education. Therefore, a schematic approach to the particular theoretical categories at The symptoms of modern history will be presented. We consider possible to relate these categories with the main trends in historiography that remain in the academic context of the pedagogy. Ultimately, the purpose is to know if the Steiner's ideas can have validity in the context of the systemic and thought crisis.