The Metamorphosis of the Revolutionary Intellectual

It is argued in this article that different types of intellectuals have existed over time—organic, revolutionary and ‘public’. Revolutionary intellectuals are organic intellectuals of the dominated classes, who are committed to the transformation of society. In the South, organic intellectuals have had difficulty becoming ‘public’ intellectuals, given the exceptionally repressive conditions prevailing in peripheral societies seeking liberation, democratization and revolutionary transformation. Yet, even revolutionary intellectuals can undergo metamorphosis over time, whether in NGOs, state bureaucracies or universities.