The German Waldorf Wars of 2007: Orthodoxy, Orthopraxy, Empirical Turns and the Problem of Racism

Given the actual size and significance of the Waldorf school movement in Germany, the amount of public attention it receives is astonishing. I would argue that far from being an expression of alienation or rejection, even the critical coverage speaks to the extent to which Waldorf pedagogy has long since become part of the furniture in contemporary Germany. To illustrate this, I focus on two controversies that came to a head and important changes that occurred in the Waldorf universe in 2007. Specifically, I examine (1) debates concerning the sense, nonsense and enduring popularity of traditional Waldorf school culture; (2) the implications of a twofold empirical turn in Waldorf research and (3) approaches to the problem of racism and racists in anthroposophy. As I show, contrary to the fears of the traditionalists, the Waldorf movement emerged strengthened, not weakened, but from the apparent vagaries of 2007.