Peter L. Berger

235
Peter L. Berger bigraphy, stories - American sociologist

Peter L. Berger : biography

March 17, 1929 – October 20, 1984

Peter Ludwig Berger (March 17, 1929) is an Austrian-born American sociologist known for his work in the sociology of knowledge, the sociology of religion, study of modernization, and theoretical contributions to sociological theory. He is 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. The book was named by the International Sociological Association as the fifth most influential book written in the field of sociology during the 20th century.http://www.isa-sociology.org/books/books10.htm Berger has spent most of his career teaching at The New School for Social Research, Rutgers University, and Boston University.

Biography

Family Life

Berger was born on March 17, 1929, in Vienna, Austria, to George William and Jelka (Loew) Berger. In 1946, he emigrated to the United States, shortly after World War II and in 1952 became a naturalized citizen. On September 28, 1959, he married Brigitte Kellner. They had two sons, Thomas Ulrich and Michael George. Berger has some academic experiences and degrees.

Education & Career

In 1949 he graduated from Wagner College with a Bachelor of Arts. He continued his studies at The New School in New York (M.A. in 1950, Ph.D. in 1954). In 1955 and 1956 he worked at the Evangelische Akademie in Bad Boll, Germany. From 1956 to 1958 Berger was an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro; from 1958 to 1963 he was an associate professor at Hartford Theological Seminary. The next stations in his career were professorships at the New School for Social Research, Rutgers University, and Boston College. Since 1981 Berger has been University Professor of Sociology and Theology at Boston University, and since 1985 also director of the Institute for the Study of Economic Culture, which transformed, a few years ago, into the Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs.

Works

Berger’s influential sociological works include:

  • The Noise of Solemn Assemblies (1961)
  • Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective (1963)
  • The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge (1966) with Thomas Luckmann, ISBN 0-385-05898-5
  • The Sacred Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion (1967). Anchor Books 1990 paperback: ISBN 0-385-07305-4
  • A Rumor of Angels: Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural (1969). Anchor Books (in print): ISBN 0-385-06630-9, 1990 expanded edition (now out of print): ISBN 0-385-41592-3

More recently he has written broadly but with particular emphasis on the sociology of religion and capitalism:

  • Sociology (1972) with Brigitte Berger. Basic Books. – Dutch translation: Sociologie (1972). Basisboeken, ISBN 90-263-2006-X
  • The Homeless Mind: Modernization and Consciousness (1973) with Brigitte Berger and Hansfried Kellner. Random House, ISBN 0-394-48422-3
  • Pyramids of Sacrifice: Political Ethics and Social Change (1974)
  • Facing Up to Modernity: Excursions in Society, Politics and Religion (1979)
  • The Heretical Imperative: Contemporary Possibilities of Religious Affirmation (1979)
  • The Other Side of God: A Polarity in World Religions (editor, 1981). ISBN 0-385-17424-1
  • The War Over the Family: Capturing the Middle Ground (1983) with Brigitte Berger
  • The Capitalist Revolution (1986) New York: Basic Books.
  • The Capitalist Spirit: Toward a Religious Ethic of Wealth Creation (editor, 1990)
  • A Far Glory: The Quest for Faith in an Age of Credulity (1992)
  • Redeeming Laughter: The Comic Dimension of Human Experience (1997), ISBN 3-11-015562-1
  • Four Faces of Global Culture (The National Interest, Fall 1997)
  • The Limits of Social Cohesion: Conflict and Mediation in Pluralist Societies: A Report of the Bertelsmann Foundation to the Club of Rome (1998)
  • The Desecularization of the World: Resurgent Religion and World Politics (editor, et al., 1999). Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, ISBN 0-8028-4691-2
  • Peter Berger and the Study of Religion (edited by Linda Woodhead et al., 2001; includes a Postscript by Berger)
  • Many Globalizations: Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World (2002) with Samuel P. Huntington. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-515146-6
  • Questions of Faith: A Skeptical Affirmation of Christianity (2003). Blackwell Publishing, ISBN 1-4051-0848-7
  • In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic (2009) with Anton Zijderveld. HarperOne. ISBN 978-0-06-177816-2
  • Dialogue Between Religious Traditions in an Age of Relativity (2011) Mohr Siebeck, ISBN 978-3-16-150792-2