Peter L. Berger

Discusses the way in which sociological perspective helps to illuminate man's social existence and the ethical implications of this scientific view

A Humanistic Perspective

Invitation to Sociology

Uses sociological theory as a means of examining the erosion of religion by secular influences and ways of making traditional religious beliefs plausible

Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion

The Sacred Canopy

Written by one of the most revered sociologists of the of the 20th century, A Rumor of Angels gives readers a unique insight into the complicated relationship between religion and society. It is undeniable that religion has had a profound effect on civilization. Readers will learn just how religion and society affect one another, and how that relationship has changed in modern times, with the secularization of mainstream society. Questioning modern morality, Peter Berger offers one of the most thought provoking books on religion in the 20th century. Praise for Peter Berger "A book of great practical wisdom by authors who have profound insight into the intellectual dynamics governing contemporary life."--Dallas Willard, author of Knowing Christ Today

Modern Society and the Rediscovery of the Supernatural

A Rumor of Angels

Thomas Luckmann

The classic work that redefined the sociology of knowledge and has inspired a generation of philosophers and thinkers In this seminal book, Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann examine how knowledge forms and how it is preserved and altered within a society. Unlike earlier theorists and philosophers, Berger and Luckmann go beyond intellectual history and focus on commonsense, everyday knowledge—the proverbs, morals, values, and beliefs shared among ordinary people. When first published in 1966, this systematic, theoretical treatise introduced the term social construction,effectively creating a new thought and transforming Western philosophy.

A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge

The Social Construction of Reality

Brigitte Berger

Hansfried Kellner

Modernization and Consciousness

The Homeless Mind

A general and systematic account of the role of knowledge in society aimed to stimulate both critical discussion and empirical investigations. This book is concerned with the sociology of �everything that passes for knowledge in society�. It focuses particularly on that �common-sense knowledge� which constitutes the reality of everyday life for the ordinary member of society. The authors are concerned to present an analysis of knowledge in everyday life in the context of a theory of society as a dialectical process between objective and subjective reality. Their development of a theory of institutions, legitimations and socializations has implications beyond the discipline of sociology, and their �humanistic� approach has considerable relevance for other social scientists, historians, philosophers and anthropologists.

Peter Ludwig Berger

El doble carácter de la sociedad como «facticidad objetiva» y como «complejo de significados subjetivos», que orientó respectivamente las teorías sociológicas de Durkheim y de Weber, dio paso -sobre todo a partir de Alfred Schutz, en cuya obra se cimenta la posición de los autores- a este nuevo interrogante: ¿Cómo es posible que los significados subjetivos se vuelvan facticidades objetivas? Es tarea de la sociología del conocimiento captar la forma en que cristaliza, para el sentido común del hombre de la calle, una «realidad» ya establecida. Este libro, concebido como un tratado teórico de carácter sistemático sobre sociología del conocimiento, contiene implícitas en el título y subtítulo sus tesis fundamentales; estas son: que la realidad se construye socialmente y que la sociología del conocimiento debe analizar los procesos por los cuales esto se produce.

La construcción social de la realidad

The Social Reality of Religion

Berger, an eminent religious sociologist and Protestant believer, attempts to square his own rational side with his religious impulses, bringing a lifetime of professional and personal reflection to bear on the nature of faith, its modern pluralistic context, and its social and individual consequences. A timely guide to the problems of faith for believers and skeptics alike.

The Quest for Faith in an Age of Credulity

A Far Glory

Woran kann man glauben? Darf der moderne Mensch auf Erlösung hoffen? Hat Jesus noch eine besondere Bedeutung? Es sind grundlegende Fragen an das Christentum von heute, die der amerikanische Religionssoziologe Peter L. Berger in seinem neuen Buch stellt. Er hinterfragt aus einer skeptischen Grundhaltung heraus die wesentlichen Aussagen des Apostolischen Glaubensbekenntnisses und stellt diese in einen Diskurs mit verschiedenen Strömungen innerhalb der Theologie und mit Positionen moderner Denker von Sigmund Freud bis Simone Weil. In Bergers kritischer und anregender Auseinandersetzung mit Grundfragen des Christentums schimmern stets seine ganz persönlichen Antworten durch, die zeigen, wie man als moderner Mensch und kritischer Christ in einer pluralen Gesellschaft dennoch glauben kann. Dieser Titel ist die Übersetzung des in den USA und in Großbritannien erfolgreichen Buches "Questions of Faith" (Blackwell Publishers, 2004).

Fragen an das Christentum

Erlösender Glaube?

Written by one of the most revered sociologists of the of the 20th century, A Rumor of Angels gives readers a unique insight into the complicated relationship between religion and society. It is undeniable that religion has had a profound effect on civilization. Readers will learn just how religion and society affect one another, and how that relationship has changed in modern times, with the secularization of mainstream society. Questioning modern morality, Peter Berger offers one of the most thought provoking books on religion in the 20th century. Praise for Peter Berger “A book of great practical wisdom by authors who have profound insight into the intellectual dynamics governing contemporary life.”—Dallas Willard, author of Knowing Christ Today

“The most important contribution to the sociology of religion since Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” (Commonweal). Acclaimed scholar and sociologist Peter L. Berger carefully lays out an understanding of religion as a historical, societal mechanism in this classic work of social theory. Berger examines the roots of religious belief and its gradual dissolution in modern times, applying a general theoretical perspective to specific examples from religions throughout the ages. Building upon the author’s previous work, The Social Construction of Reality, with Thomas Luckmann, this book makes Berger’s case that human societies build a “sacred canopy” to protect, stabilize, and give meaning to their worldview.

 Samuel P. Huntington

بيتر إل بيرغر

سامويل بي هنتنغتون 

يشكل هذا الكتاب الثمرة الرئيسية لدراسة دامت ثلاث سنوات حول موضوع العولمة والثقافة في عشرة بلدان تمت تحت رعاية معهد دراسة الثقافة الاقتصادية بجامعة بوسطن. تمت إدارة الدراسة بصورة مشتركة بين المحررين بيتر إل. بيرغر (سوسيولوجي مدير المعهد آنف الذكر) وسامويل هنتنغتون (أستاذ علوم سياسية، شاغل كرسي مميز بجامعة هارفارد). ثمة عدد من الكتيبات والمقالات الإضافية يجري إعدادها من قبل العديد من الباحثين الميدانيين في مختلف البلدان. وفرت مؤسسة بيو الخيرية دعما ماليا رئيسيا للدراسة. قامت مؤسسه هيمالايا التايبوية بتمويل البحث الخاص بتايوان. أما البحث الخاص باليابان فقد مولته مؤسستا نيبون وصنتوري. ولولا الدعم المستمر لجامعة بوسطن ولمؤسسة ليند وهاري برادلي لما كانت إدارة المعهد للمشروع البحثي ممكنة. شكر خاص موجه إلى لويس لوغو من مؤسسات بيو الخيرية، ليس فقط على الدعم المالي لمؤسسته بل وعلى اهتمامه وتشجيعه الشخصيين . العبيكان للنشر 2004

Many Globalizations : Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World

عولمات كثيرة : التنوع الثقافي في العالم المعاصر

Amid the variety of human experiences, the comic occupies a distinctive place. It is simultaneously ubiquitous, relative, and fragile. In this book, Peter L. Berger reflects on the nature of the comic and its relationship to other human experiences. Berger contends that the comic is an integral aspect of human life, yet one that must be approached and analyzed circumspectly and circuitously. Beginning with an exploration of the anatomy of the comic, Berger addresses humor in philosophy, physiology, psychology, and the social sciences before turning to a discussion of different types of comedy and finally suggesting a theology of the comic in terms of its relationship to folly, redemption, and transcendence. Along the way, the reader is treated to a variety of jokes on a variety of topics, with particular emphasis on humor and its relationship to religion. Originally published in 1997, the second edition includes a new preface reflecting on Berger’s work in the intervening years, particularly on the relationship between humor and modernity.

The Comic Dimension of Human Experience

Redeeming Laughter

Gordon Redding

'The Hidden Form of Capital' presents evidence from several parts of the changing world about how the realm of the spirit affects the economy. The idea that societies have economic cultures as well as aesthetic, literary, and artistic cultures is well-embedded in a number of major studies attempting to identify the origins of national wealth and progress. This book provides an original contribution to the debate, by discussing the relationship between religion and the economy not via further theoretical speculation, but through the presentation of analytical evidence from real-life case studies in Europe, Asia, Africa, Russia, and the United States. There is currently a major re-assessment of assumptions about the foundations of societal progress, as the market rationality model is exposed for its moral weaknesses. The emergence of socio-economics as a scholarly field, as well as the embracing of complexity theory and the societal effect in economic analysis, brings the question of cultural effects to the forefront. This collection of studies offers more practical and tangible evidence, especially unique and useful for its comparative aspect. The book skilfully combines this comparative and descriptive character with an accessible writing style intended for a wide audience.

Spiritual Influences in Societal Progress

The Hidden Form of Capital

Hümanist Bir Perspektif

Sosyolojiye Cagri

Grande classico del pensiero sociologico, quest'opera imposta il problema della sociologia della conoscenza non più in riferimento alle teorie degli intellettuali, ma ponendo al centro dell'attenzione la conoscenza intesa come patrimonio comune degli individui nella realtà quotidiana.

La realtà come costruzione sociale

Peter L. Berger is arguably the best-known American sociologist living today. Since the 1960s he has been publishing books on many facets of the American social scene, and several are now considered classics. So it may be hard to believe Professor Berger’s description of himself as an "accidental sociologist." But that in fact accurately describes how he stumbled into sociology. In this witty, intellectually stimulating memoir, Berger explains not only how he became a social scientist, but the many adventures that this calling has led to. Rather than writing an autobiography, he focuses on the main intellectual issues that motivated his work and the various people and situations he encountered in the course of his career. Full of memorable vignettes and colorful characters depicted in a lively narrative often laced with humor, Berger’s memoir conveys the excitement that a study of social life can bring. The first part of the book describes Berger’s initiation into sociology through the New School for Social Research, "a European enclave in the midst of Greenwich Village bohemia." Berger was first a student at the New School and later a young professor amidst a clique of like-minded individuals. There he published The Social Construction of Reality (with colleague Thomas Luckmann), one of his most successful books, followed by The Sacred Canopy on the sociology of religion, also still widely cited. The book covers Berger’s experience as a "globe-trekking sociologist" including trips to Mexico, where he studied approaches to Third World poverty; to East Asia, where he discovered the potential of capitalism to improve social conditions; and to South Africa, where he chaired an international study group on the future of post-Apartheid society. Berger then tells about his role as the director of a research center at Boston University. For over two decades he and his colleagues have been tackling such important issues as globalization, the secularization of Europe, and the ongoing dialectic between relativism and fundamentalism in contemporary culture. What comes across throughout is Berger’s boundless curiosity with the many ways in which people interact in society. This book offers longtime Berger readers as well as newcomers to sociology proof that the sociologist’s attempt to explain the world is anything but boring.

Peter L. Berger

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