This paper emphasizes the specific theoretical potential of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann's The Social Construction of Reality for an analysis of the construction and constitution of power. In contrast to certain criticisms, as formulated for example by Pierre Bourdieu, which reproach the authors for being oblivious of power, it is shown that Berger and Luckmann's theoretical apparatus indeed offers the possibility to reconstruct established power structures as part of objective reality. Furthermore, the authors open up a distinct perspective from which to systematically analyze the subjective dimension of power constitution with reference to the subjective reality of the individual actor. We argue that the investigation of power inevitably needs to be based on the idea of the dialectical relationship of objective and subjective reality. Moreover, this paper shows that it is specifically the subjective dimension of power constitution based on systems of relevance that allows for an explanation of the resistance to established power structures on the part of the individual actor.

This essay presents a phenomenological analysis of the functioning of symbols as elements of the life-world with the purpose of demonstrating the interrelationship of individual and society. On the basis of Alfred Schutz's theory of the life-world, signs and symbols are viewed as mechanisms by means of which the individual can overcome the transcendences posed by time, space, the world of the Other, and multiple realities which confront him or her. Accordingly, the individual's life-world divides itself into the dimensions of time, space, the social world and various reality spheres which form the boundaries or transcendences that the I has to understand and integrate. Signs and symbols are described as appresentational modes which stand for experiences originating in the different spheres of the life-world within the world of everyday life, within which they can be communicated, thereby establishing intersubjectivity. Schutz's theory of the symbol explains how social entities-such as nations, states or religious groups-are symbolically integrated to become components of the individual's life-world. The following paper reconstructs Schutz's concept of the symbol as a crucial component of his theory of the life-world, which is seen as an outstanding phenomenological contribution to the theory of the sign and the symbol in general.

The following is a transcript of an interview with Thomas Luckmann which was conducted in two sessions on the 22nd and 23rd of June 2015 at his home in Kärnten, Austria. It opens up a retrospective on the widely spread scientific life work of the famous sociologist, who has left impressive marks on the academic field. He is specifically known for his renewal of the field of sociology of knowledge and on this basis the establishment of a general sociological theory. Monographs like The Social Construction of Reality (together with Peter L. Berger), The Invisible Religion, or The Structures of the Life-World (with Alfred Schutz) have each wielded significant influence and are till this day standard literature in their particular disciplines. The questions were compiled and posed by Jochen Dreher and Andreas Göttlich from the Social Science Archive Konstanz, at the University of Konstanz, where Thomas Luckmann's scientific materials are stored. For the sake of clarity, the transcript is subdivided into five chapters, each of them dealing with a specific theoretical and/or empirical field: (1) Phenomenology, (2) Sociology of Knowledge, (3) Theory of Action, (4) Sociology of Religion, (5) Language, Communication, and Genre Analysis. The transcript was revised post hoc by the interviewers as well as by Thomas Luckmann himself. In order to preserve the impression of a spoken conversation, only plain mistakes were corrected and some redundant phrases were omitted. Italics indicate emphasized words as well as book titles. We would like to thank Maria Sophia Putz und Daniel Kleboth for their intense work on the interview transcript.

No abstract

No abstract