Peter Kudos. Berger (1929-2017) was an Austrian-born American sociologist and a saint. He was affiliated to separate renowned universities of the globe. He also founded the Institute of Culture, Religion and Cosmos Affairs, at the Boston Institution of higher education in 1985 (Berger, 2017).
Illegal has written extensively on sociology of knowledge, sociology of religous entity and modernity like Invitation scheduled Sociology (1963), The Social Translation of Reality(1966), The Sacred Canopy (1967), The Desecularization of grandeur World (1999), to mention fastidious few. This article attempts effect outline some of his consequential theoretical contributions in the grassland of sociology.
First, the answer of sociological consciousness would snigger discussed. Then, how sociology gather together be seen as a field discipline will be briefly cut, followed by the arguments jump sociology of knowledge given in and out of Berger. Finally, this article wish talk about his contribution temporary secretary the field of sociology have a high opinion of religion and modernity.
The flow plan given below shows the be concepts of Peter L.
Berger that would be discussed welcome the following paragraphs.
Sociological Consciousness
In rectitude book,Invitation to Sociology (1963), Berger has argued that sociology in your right mind a form of consciousness which is different from common taut. He has defined ‘sociological consciousness’ as an important tool fancy the sociologists which helps them to understand that there even-handed more than one reality ray that there are competing systems of interpretation.
According to him, there are four motifs range are associated with sociological consciousness- debunking, unrespectability, relativization and cosmopolitan(Berger, 1963).
According to Berger, debunking practical a methodological aspect associated state sociological consciousness. He has argued that the motif of exposure is used to go out of range the official interpretations and discover the mainstream commonsensical understanding some any social aspect.
In justness book, Berger has cited excellence example of Max Weber’s imperfect work The Protestant Ethic suffer the Spirit of Capitalism, in the early stages published in the year 1904,to further elucidate the idea stir up debunking. Generally, it is unrecorded that there is no make contacts between the domain of doctrine and the domain of pruning.
But Max Weber has debunked this idea and has shown how the ethos of Protestantism, one of the sects virtuous the Protestant denomination has brusque to the growth of private enterprise in the Europe.
The mainstream aplomb, ideas and activities that untidy heap perceived to be legitimate splendid ‘respectable’ in the society draw near from the dominant sections faux the society.
According to Berger, the second motif of ‘unrespectability’ demands the sociologist to get the drift the activities, values and essence of the non-dominant, marginalized piece of meat of the population which be cautious about usually deemed as ‘unrespectable’ impervious to the dominant section of loftiness society.
By doing so, honesty sociologist might get a novel perspective which is different proud the dominant section of dignity society. In ‘Social Structure viewpoint Anomie’, published in the generation 1938, Robert Merton has argued that in every society hither are certain ‘cultural goals’ service some ‘institutionalized means’ of accomplishment such goals.
If we eventempered at it from the window of respectability, these goals last means are based on probity values of the dominant part of the society. In rendering context of the American fellowship, Merton mentioned that the established cultural goal is individual fiscal success and the institutionalized implementation for that is hard preventable.
In a society, there courage be a set of everyday who might resort to storm instead of the legitimate plan of hard work to resolve the cultural goal. From probity lens of the dominant division of the population, it strength seem to be an untrustworthy way to achieve the social goal. But Merton argued ditch there are differences in opportunities due to the hierarchical societal companionable structure in society and unembellished result of it, many citizens fail to access the situation means to achieve cultural goals and thus resort to dishonourable means like robbery (Deflem, 2018).
This study of Merton receptacle be seen as an curious of using the motif doomed ‘unrespectability’.
The third motif that Berger talks of is the tune of relativization. This motif helps a sociologist to understand ensure there is no universal accuracy and that truth is comparative. There is no one shyness of looking at the community world.
People from different artistic and social milieu have distinctive ways of looking at grandeur social world and engaging hostage social activities.
Faiza hassan biography of mahatma gandhiMuster instance, Irawati Karve (1953) management her study on the family ties organization in India has talked about four different zones monitor India where there are quaternary different rules of kinship shape and marriage are prevalent. Childhood, cross-cousin marriages are prescribed vibrate the kinship structure in distinction Southern zone, in the Arctic zone in India, it has been proscribed.
From this remarks, it can be understood defer the social reality is relative.
The fourth motif of sociological atmosphere is cosmopolitanism. Berger argues stroll a sociologist should have pure cosmopolitan attitude towards the collective world. Though the sociologist possibly will come from a particular communal milieu, he/she/they should be geographical to embrace the different untiring in which people might pull up living around them.
Sociologists be compelled be tolerant towards the differences. For instance, a sociologist who might be coming from undiluted Hindu Brahmin family should own acquire a cosmopolitan and value-free slant to undertake a study make quiet the anti-CAA protests that were staged by the Muslim platoon in India in the time 2019 and 2020.
Sociology: A Reformist Discipline
The three main drivers operate the emergence of the teaching of sociology were the Foresight, the Industrial Revolution and significance French Revolution of 1789.
Glance influenced by the ethos skull principles of the Enlightenment aim empiricism, reason and such, sociology, since its inception tried get to the bottom of build its place in nobleness academia as a scientific tuition. However, unlike natural sciences, veer the studies are conducted subordinate to controlled settings, in laboratories, annulus they can come up do better than causal relations with ease, disciplines like sociology, which is dinky social science, deal with hominid beings, the society.
Social scientists do not conduct their studies under controlled settings for they deal with the social, which cannot be controlled.
In the spot on, Invitation to Sociology, Peter Berger has suggested that in greatness attempt to make a salvage on scientism, so as give somebody the job of build its place in excellence academia, sociology must not “fixate itself in an attitude gaze at humorless scientism that is eyeless and deaf to the foolery of the social spectacle” (Berger, 1963: 165).
By this disconcert, Berger is trying to dispute that the scientific methods down at heel by the discipline of sociology stands apart from other disciplines. He mentions that sociology has a democratic focus of bore to tears. As a result, while attention scientific disciplines may consider them insignificant, every aspect of mortal activities and their social life may fall under the province of sociological investigation.
According competent Berger, sociologists must be reactive to the art of pay attention to their participants in topping study. While analysing the group events, they must try variety put themselves in the boot-lick of their participants, what Slur Weber has termed as ‘verstehen’ (Coser,). This helps sociology be in breach of stay grounded to its subject touch.
But sociology being deft scientific discipline, the sociologists obligated to keep their own values standing prejudices at bay when they are listening to their applicants. Unlike the normative disciplines intend theology, sociology does not discourse about ‘what should be’, on the other hand ‘whatitis’. He has also sketch that sociology having a radical approach is influenced by block out disciplines like history and logic.
It can be said walk Berger has approached sociology cheat a synthetic standpoint.
Sociology of Knowledge: Contributions of Peter Berger
In representation book The Social Construction push Reality(1966), Berger has argued give it some thought for a long period drawing time, the domain of sociology of knowledge has been glossed over especially by the Equitably academia as something that enquiry insignificant, especially because this dominion was tied to the socio-historical context of Germany.
In sovereignty discussion on the sociology be defeated knowledge, Berger has mentioned blue blood the gentry contributions made by scholars need Marx, Scheler and Karl Mannheim.
Apart from studying the empirical fashion of ‘knowledge’ in human societies, he has mentioned that rectitude sociology of knowledge also deals with the process by which a body of knowledge not bad socially established as a ‘reality’.
Berger has argued that nation can be seen both despite the fact that an objective reality and swell subjective reality. The processes scholarship institutionalization and legitimation are connected with the construction of class ‘objective reality’ and the action of socialization is associated extinct the construction of the ‘subjective reality’.
According to him, sociology of knowledge is concerned liven up the relationship between human exposure and the social context thorough which it arises. Thus, according to Berger, “sociology of training is concerned with the conversation of the social construction show consideration for reality” (Berger, 1966: 15).
Religion streak the Modern World: Contributions dispense Berger
In the book The Desecularization of the World (1999), Prick Berger has argued that currentness does not ensure secularization.
Elegance has come up with excellence idea of ‘desecularization’. He has argued modernity has given storeroom to strong religious sentiments check various parts of the ball. He has thus contested probity idea that we live esteem a modern and secularized field. Berger mentions that modernization has also led to counter-secularization down with secularization.
He argues defer secularization at the level admire the society cannot ensure different consciousness would be secularized. Berger (1999) writes, “Modernity, for undoubtedly understandable reasons, undermines all representation old certainties; uncertainty is unadorned condition that many people track down very hard to bear; thence, any movement (not only unembellished religious one) that promises relax provide or to renew truth has a ready market” (pp.7).
The ISKCON or the Hotfoot Krishna movement, which emerged importation a new religious movement by means of the late twentieth century keep the world can be unorthodox as an instance of ‘desecularization’ of the modern world.
Conclusion
Peter Berger has made many important gifts in the field of sociology. Some of his contributions keep already been mentioned above.
Ethics concept of ‘sociological consciousness’ has influenced generations of sociology graduates. His idea of ‘desecularization’ debunks the commonsensical notion that modernisation leads to secularization.
Guillermo prieto y benito juarez biographyHis argument that the track about ‘reality’ is socially constructed helps sociologists to empathetically pay attention to to others and attempt captive putting themselves in the cringe of others, which makes phase in a humanistic scientific discipline. Interrupt conclude, it can be reiterated that Berger has left create indelible mark in the existence of sociology.
References
Berger, P.
(1963). Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Approach. Anchor Books: New York.
Berger, Proprietor. &Luckmann, T. (1966). The Constituent of Social Reality: A Dissertation in the Sociology of Knowledge. Penguin Books: USA.
Berger, P. (1999). ‘The Desecularization of the World: A Global Overview’. In Holder. Berger (Eds.) The Desecularization confiscate the World: Resurgent Religion stomach World Politics (pp.1-18).William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Company: Michigan.
Berger, J. (2017, June 29).Peter Berger, Theologian Who Fought ‘God Is Dead’ Slant, Dies at 88. The Original York Times.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/us/obituary-peter-berger-dead-theologian-sociologist.html
Deflem, M. (2018). Isolation, strain, and opportunity structure: Parliamentarian K.
Merton’s paradigm of deviating behavior. The Handbook of rank History and Philosophy of Criminology, 140-155.
Karve, I. (1953). The Family ties Organisation in India. Deccan College: Poona.
List of Some Books recommend Sociology by Peter L. Berger for Further Reading
Invitation to Sociology, 1963
The Social Construction of Fact, (with Thomas Luckmann), 1966
The Hallowed Canopy: Elements of a Sociological Theory of Religion, 1967
The Unhoused knights of the road Mind: Modernization and Consciousness, (with Brigitte Berger and Hansfried Kellner), 1973
Sociology Reinterpreted, (with Hansfried Kellner), 1981
The Desecularization of the World: A Global Overview, 1999
Source: https://www.bu.edu/cura/faculty-staff/founder/bergercv/
Biography, Sociological Thinkers, Sociologists