Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Seyed Esmaeil Masoudi ¹
• Mohammad Taghi Iman ²
• Hossein Abbasi, ²

¹ Sociology Department, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

² Sociology Department, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran.

Abstract

This article examines the alignment of Peter Berger's theory of the "social construction of reality" with the 20th century's "linguistic turn." Using a documentary method, it analyzes textual data from Berger and other thinkers. The study first explores the role of language in the sociologies of Durkheim and Weber, contextualizes the linguistic turn, and then compares these with Berger's views. The results show that while Berger did not explicitly use the term, he adopted the linguistic turn approach. He constructed his theory by advancing beyond the frameworks of Durkheim and Weber, based on a shift within the sociology of knowledge. The analysis deduces seven conceptual elements to demonstrate how Berger's social theory is founded on this linguistic approach, which he calls the "sociology of language." The conceptual relationship of these elements with "everyday life" is identified, and the implications of the "linguistic structure of everyday life" for social research in Iran are discussed.

Keywords

• linguistic turn
• social theory
• social construction of reality
• everyday life
• Peter Berger
• sociology of language

Main Subjects

• Sociology