Peter L. Berger

Peter Ludwig Berger (March 17, 1929 – June 27, 2017) was an Austrian-born American sociologist. He was known for his work in the sociology of knowledge, the sociology of religion, study of modernization, and theoretical work to sociological theory.

Peter L. Berger
Peter Ludwig Berger.jpg
Born
Peter Ludwig Berger

(1929-03-17)March 17, 1929
DiedJune 27, 2017(2017-06-27) (aged 88)
Alma materWagner College (B.A. 1949)
The New School (M.A. 1950, Ph.D. 1954)
Known forCo-author of The Social Construction of Reality
ChildrenThomas Ulrich Berger, Michael George Berger
Scientific career
FieldsSociology, Theology
InstitutionsBoston University
InfluencesMax Weber, Alfred Schütz

Berger was best known for his book, co-authored with Thomas Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge (New York, 1966), which is thought to be one of the most influential texts in the sociology of knowledge, and played a central role in the development of social constructionism.[1]

Career

In addition to this book, some of the other books that Berger has written include: Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective (1963); A Rumor of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural (1969); and The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Social Theory of Religion (1967).[2]

Berger has spent most of his career teaching at The New School for Social Research, Rutgers University, and Boston University. Before retiring, Berger had been at Boston University since 1981 and was the director of the Institute for the Study of Economic Culture.[3]

More reading

  • Hein, David. "Christianity and Honor." The Living Church, August 18, 2013, pp. 8–10. [analysis and application of Berger's "On the Obsolescence of the Concept of Honor" (1970)]
  • James D. Hunter, Stephen C. Ainley. Making Sense of Modern Times: Peter L. Berger and the Vision of Interpretive Sociology
  • Robert Wuthnow. Cultural Analysis: The Work of Peter L. Berger, Mary Douglas, Michel Foucault, and Jurgen Habermas

Peter L. Berger Media

Related pages

References

  1. "ISA – Books of the Century. ToP Ten". Archived from the original on 2012-10-10. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
  2. Aeschliman, M.D. June 2011. A Contemporary Erasmus: Peter L. Berger. Modern Age, Vol 53, pp. 5–14 http://rpholyc.holycross.edu/ebsco-w-b/ehost/detail?sid=fe313724-eb88-431c-8812-1a4ab95a1b57%40sessionmgr114&vid=1&hid=117&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=78384571[dead link]
  3. Allan, Kenneth. Contemporary Social and Sociological Theory: Visualizing Social Worlds. Sage Publications Inc, 2011, pp. 28–45

Other websites

  Quotations related to Peter L. Berger at Wikiquote