Peter L. Berger

Peter L. Berger
Berger in 2010
Born
Peter Ludwig Berger

(1929-03-17)March 17, 1929
DiedJune 27, 2017(2017-06-27) (aged 88)
Spouse
Brigitte Kellner
(m. 1959; died 2015)
Academic background
Education
Influences
Academic work
Discipline
Sub-discipline
Institutions
Doctoral students
Notable studentsChaim I. Waxman
Notable worksThe Social Construction of Reality (1966)
Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective (1963)
A Rumor of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural (1969)

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

Berger is arguably 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 considered one of the most influential texts in the sociology of knowledge and played a central role in the development of social constructionism. In 1998 the International Sociological Association named this book as the fifth most-influential book written in the field of sociology during the 20th century.[1] 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 Sociological Theory of Religion (1967).[2][3]

Berger spent most of his career teaching at The New School for Social Research, at Rutgers University, and at 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.[4]


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  1. ^ "Books of the XX Century". International Sociological Association. isa-sociology.org. Retrieved June 30, 2017
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference The Sacred Canopy was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ 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[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Allan, Kenneth. Contemporary Social and Sociological Theory: Visualizing Social Worlds. Sage Publications Inc, 2011, pp. 28–45