ABSTRACT
In the 1950s, sociological theories were strongly affected by structural functionalism, as developed by Talcott Parsons. Structural functionalism emphasized the idea that society consisted of fundamental social systems, like the economy, family, culture, and so forth, which all had separate tasks or functions, and these systems affected individual thoughts and actions. Berger and Luckmann introduced a dialectic view of social reality. As a counterpoint to structural functionalism, they reintroduced the human subject in sociology, as a passive product of social structures and processes, but as an active agent who constructs culture and acts back on society. In the 1960s, there was a new interest in the study of meaning in sociology, as seen in symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology, and the sociology of religion. Thomas Luckmann was born in Slovenia in 1927 and was professor of sociology at New School for Social Research, Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe-University and University of Kontanz in Germany.
