Artikel

De intellectueel: woordgeschiedenis en constructie van het maatschappelijk type

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Abstract

The intellectual: word-history and construction of the social type - Analysis of the history of the word ’intellectual’ reveals that a value-neutral use of the concept doesn’t exist: the use and denotation of the term are always tinted by the ideological perspective of the beholder. Most often the word functions as a battleword in political conflicts, a term of abuse and political bludgeon intended to smash or undermine the opponent’s point of view. We reach this conclusion by depicting the sociogenesis of the word ’intellectual’ in France— at the time of the tumultuous episode known as the Dreyfus case — and in Germany— during the Weimar Republic (1919-1933). Though different in outcome the examples of France and Germany embody decisive struggles concerning the future of new parliamentary democracies. In this essay the intellectual is defined as a social type. The definition-elements of this construction we gather from the rebukes uttered by the intellectuals’ ideological adversaries. Guided by J.P. Netti’s scheme of classification these elements are integrated in the following definition: the intellectual is a social type originating in a profane urban culture, including people who speak critically in public debate from a universal humanistic ideology and democratic mentality— free from professional compulsion— on matters concerning man and society.

How to Cite:

Dielissen, G., (1988) “De intellectueel: woordgeschiedenis en constructie van het maatschappelijk type”, Tijdschrift voor Sociale Wetenschappen 33(3), 247–277. doi: https://doi.org/10.21825/tvsw.94986