Peter L. Berger is a Viennese-born American sociologist educated at Wagner College and the New School for Social Research in New York. He teaches at Boston University and directs the Institute for the Study of Economic Culture. Berger's work has focused on the sociology of knowledge, the sociology of economics, and the sociology of religion. His closest collaborator has been his wife, Brigitte Kellner Berger, who coauthored several volumes with him and has been a central influence on his work. Berger is perhaps best known for The Social Construction of Reality (1967) which he wrote with Thomas Luckmann. In this book, considered one of the most important works on the sociology of knowledge written in the twentieth century, the authors make a case for humanistic sociology that views human reality as socially constructed. They propose that sociological knowledge can best be achieved through a continuing conversation with history and philosophy.
