ABSTRACT
This chapter presents four case studies on Waldorf education in Austria and asks how the academic and public debate is structured in the Austrian context. Based on a keyword search at websites and repositories of Austrian public universities and university colleges for teacher education (case study 1) and based on literature research for the Austrian region (case study 2) it can be concluded that the academic debate on Waldorf education in Austria during the past ten years (2011-2021) is hardly visible. The public debate was studied through 21 Questions on Waldorf Education (case study 3) and through an analysis of newspaper forums (case study 4). It turned out that the public debate in Austria is shaped by a few central issues. The debate revolves particularly around the foundation of the Waldorf movement, which is established and discussed on the basis of the writings of Rudolf Steiner and, in particular, his anthroposophy.
