Marie von Sivers: ihr emanzipativer Lebensentwurf und ihre Verbindung mit Rudolf Steiner vor dem Hintergrund des Modells der Kameradschaftsehe

Many popular fields, such as Waldorf school education, anthroposophical medicine (Weleda) and “biodynamic” farming (Demeter), have made anthroposophy widely accepted in society, beyond its own ideological boundaries, as a religious and lifestyle trend. Interest is usually centred on Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), the founder of the Anthroposophical Society, with a guru-like status among his followers. However, this dissertation focuses on Marie von Sivers (1867-1948), Rudolf’s second wife. Whereas anthroposophical literature often suggests that Rudolf and Marie’s relationship was fundamentally asymmetrical, my analysis expose this thesis as a construct.
Driven by emancipative urges, it was Marie’s self-proclaimed aim to work on equal footing with a man. The trained stage performer also sought a forum to implement her artistic ideals. The co-operation with Rudolf provided her with a suitable environment to realise these goals. She particularly made a name for herself by establishing a characteristic speaking style, which is still found in anthroposophical stage work even today. She also played a constitutive role in creating the anthroposophical stage art known as “eurhythmy”.
Marie’s conscious exercising of influence, called for by Rudolf, reflects her partnership-based relationship, which she simultaneously encounters in the form of companionate marriage propagated by Max (1864-1920) and Marianne (1870-1954) Weber. The co-operation with Rudolf became a vehicle for Marie. Based on her own life goals, she provided stimuli for anthroposophical work, some of which actively exist to this day. Her collaboration with Rudolf also marked the emergence of her own lifework, which had begun to take shape before she had even met him.