Globalization of Waldorf education: an ethnographic case study from the Philippines

Schie, T.J. van (2026)

Doctoral Thesis

This dissertation explores how Waldorf education takes shape in the Philippines, where anthroposophical pedagogical ideals – originating in Europe and reformulated in international networks – encounter local social and cultural realities. Drawing on ethnographic research in a rural school in Iloilo, Thijs Jan van Schie reveals how ostensibly global ideas are locally, generating both moments of friction and creativity. The study highlights the need for culturally grounded and socially inclusive forms of Waldorf education, and it invites teachers to become, in a sense, both anthroposophists and anthropologists: educators who create learning environments that resonate with local life and where students feel at home, while remaining faithful to the human-centred principles of Waldorf pedagogy.

• All authors: Schie, T.J. van
• Supervisor: Persoon, G.A.; Vedder, P.H.
• Co-supervisor: Luning, S.W.J.
• Committee: Spierenburg, M.J.; Keurs, P.J. ter; Denessen, E.J.P.G.; Tanilon, J.O.; Mayo, A.Y.
• Qualification: Doctor (dr.)
• Awarding Institution: Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Leiden University
• Date: 2026-02-06
• ISBN (print): 9789465360171
• Sponsorship: NWO
• Grant number: 023007026