ABSTRACT
Intellectuals (especially, organic intellectuals 1 in the Gramscian sense) constitute an important ‘layer’ of civil society 2 and ought to play a crucial role (as the ‘organising element’) in de ning and in uencing national consciousness, struggles, and the formation of popular culture. Whether intellectuals play this role in society depends on a number of factors, some of which will be discussed in the course of this chapter. One of the key factors that in uences the role intellectuals play in society is the group’s consciousness of its sense of a clearly de ned mission in relation to the broader society. A blurred sense of mission in relation to broader society often leads to fragmentation and weak relations between various elements of that society, including the state and markets. Figure 8.1 shows the graphical relationship between state, civil society and markets, highlighting the idea that both state and markets are ‘embedded’ in society , of which intellectuals are an integral part.
