Abstract

Alfred Schutz died in the midst of preparations for a book which was to present in a systematic and more fully developed fashion the results of his extensive research into the constitution of social reality that were previously published in scattered essays and articles. Solely from this perspective, The Structures of the Life-World, prepared for publication by Thomas Luckmann, is of immense service to scholars of Schutz as well as to those who desire a thorough introduction to Schutz’ thought. During his lifetime Schutz only published one book, Der sinnhafte Aufbau der sozialen Welt, so that in the subsequent quarter of a century until his death in 1959 access to his work could only be had by reference to those essays and articles, most of which were later reprinted as his Collected Papers. The fact that preparations for this last work were not completed necessitated that Luckmann not only structure but also develop those analyses necessary for a self-sufficient work. As Luckmann emphasizes, The Structures of the Life-World is a "collaboration between two unequal authors: one dead, the other living...."