The Double-Edged Sword: The Cult of "Bildung", Its Downfall and Reconstitution in Fin-de-Siècle Germany (Rudolf Steiner and Max Weber)

by Perry Myers

Overview

This study traces how Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), founder of Anthroposophy and the Waldorf schools, and the sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920) confronted the societal transformations in fin-de-siècle Germany as their primary identity marker - Bildung or self-formation - began to break down. The book documents the German bourgeoisie's failure to modernise as an imagined community, shedding new light on the larger question about the interrelationship of science, religion and culture by situating Weber's and Steiner's work into the broader context of the sociocultural and sociopolitical transformations during which it was created. Moreover, by exploring the influences across disciplines in a historical context the book provides insight into the cultural implications of new social science and religion at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783039100613
Publisher:	Peter Lang AG, Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften
Publication date:	11/03/2004
Series:	German Linguistic and Cultural Studies , #11
Pages:	230
Product dimensions:	5.91(w) x 8.66(h) x (d)

About the Author

The Author: Perry Myers grew up in Texas and attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas. After completing his education with a Master of Business Administration in May 1981, he spent the following years as an investment banker in Frankfurt, Germany. In September 1994 he re-entered the academic world at the University of Texas and completed his Ph.D. in Germanic Studies in August 2002. He is at present working on a book about how quasi-religious groups reacted to sociocultural challenges in Germany during the early twentieth century. He is an Assistant Professor of German at Albion College.

Table of Contents

Contents: Max Weber – Rudolf Steiner – Anthroposophy – Education – Bildung as Habitus – Spiritual Community – Dismantled Community – Fin-de-Siècle Germany.

Preface

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