Patterns, Players, Perspectives: Epilogue on the International Reputation and Discussion on Waldorf Education

The search for traces of how Waldorf education is discussed and received in public and academic discourse unexpectedly leads to the question of what the leading factors are for its respective perception in both science and society. Both discourses are characterised by intricate, convoluted relations. A look at the actors involved enables us to learn about their place within the respective educational system and leads back to the transfer paths and mechanisms that have contributed to its active reception, implementation, and internalisation (cf. Steiner-Khamsi, 2003; as cited in Rakhkochkine, 2009, p. 1044). As different as the historical and socio-cultural frameworks are and were at the national level, patterns in reception and discourse can be identified across the case studies of this two-volume book project. Six of these patterns, enriched by findings from previous Waldorf educational research, are presented here in the form of theses and are further differentiated. These are, of course, not clear-cut and static, but they rather show tendencies and illuminate the developments and interactions from different perspectives in order to shed some light on an educational success story as well as its downsides.