The Social Construction of Reality

I've read Berger & Luckmann's classic Social Construction of Reality since I'm somewhat interested in reality and how it is built. I'm not sure if I know now, but as a blueprint for a field of study "sociology of knowledge" it is certainly interesting.

Here's a completely vulgarized version of the whole thing: to become an adult member of a society, a kid goes through primary and secondary socialization. Primary socialization takes places (typically) within a family, the secondary by social institutions like schools. One of socialization's tasks is to legitimize the social structure. By doing so, it generates a body a knowledge. The body of knowledge is used to interpret natural phenomena, ergo: construction of reality, and even the subject's identity in the society. A better explanation of the story can be found in wikipedia.

I should find a sociologist to tell me how the field of sociology of knowledge developed from there as an empirical science (Berger and Luckmann discuss empirical studies but mainly develop a theoretical framework). For instance it would be interesting to know what happens in a large-scale socio-political change (let's say the collapse of socialism in Europe, urbanisation, China's new middle class etc). Then it would be interesting to know why people adopt certain types of hobbies, join clubs, vote against their own interest, listen to pop or jazz, go to sports events and demonstrations, write blogs etc.*


Again back to Michel Foucault: in what way his "archaeology of knowledge" or "geneology of knowledge" would be better or more profound than sociology of knowledge? I'm sure this question will give you sleepless nights while I read something completely different.


* Pierre Bourdieu might have a good answer, but I haven't read him properly.