Antonio Gramsci’s Concept of Understanding of the Intellectuals.
Q: What is Antonio Gramsci’s concept of understanding of the intellectuals. How is it different from the conventional perception of intellectual in his essay "The Formation of the Intellectuals" Ans: Marxist thinker Antonio Gramsci in his essay "The Formation of the Intellectuals" focuses on the way how intellectuals are formed in a society and the activites they perform in it. Every society is composed of various social groups, which has specific role in the mose of production because of the training the social group takes. This process is considered as the intellectual elaboration of human activity. Intellectual is therefore, according to Gramsci, those people who make the mode of production workable. They intellectually assisit in new productive-organisational activity as also to explain annd elaborate attitude. Not all social gropus produce intellectuals. For eg. Capitalist class produce its own intellectauls in the form of banker,administrators, managers, etc. While peasantry doesn 't produce its own intellectuals but provides intellectuals for other social groups.
Gramsci idea of intellectual varies from the conventional idea of an intellectual where an person is associated with theories and ideas related exclusively to the domain of literature,science and medicine. An intellectual is also conventionaly considered a person of notable cultural and artistic expertise whose knowledge grants him intellectual authority in public discourse. When Gramsci describes about intellectual, he made certain distinctions between intellectuals in the context of historical change. They are the organic intellectuals and traditional intellectuals. The organic intellectuals are the ones who come into existence as a result of emergence of new social group. Hence, they are organically tied to their groups. They are dynamic and revolutionary since they are product of a social group which emerged as a conflict agaginst old modes of production, learning and thoughts. He gives
Gramsci idea of intellectual varies from the conventional idea of an intellectual where an person is associated with theories and ideas related exclusively to the domain of literature,science and medicine. An intellectual is also conventionaly considered a person of notable cultural and artistic expertise whose knowledge grants him intellectual authority in public discourse. When Gramsci describes about intellectual, he made certain distinctions between intellectuals in the context of historical change. They are the organic intellectuals and traditional intellectuals. The organic intellectuals are the ones who come into existence as a result of emergence of new social group. Hence, they are organically tied to their groups. They are dynamic and revolutionary since they are product of a social group which emerged as a conflict agaginst old modes of production, learning and thoughts. He gives
Bibliography: Gramsci, Antonio “The Formation of the Intellectuals”. Approaches in Literary Theory Marxism. Ed. Anand Prakash. Delhi: Worldview Publications, 2010. www.wikipedia.com