This chapter explores Gramsci’s understanding of the nature and role of intellectuals. It explains his distinction between organic and traditional intellectuals, noting that Gramsci’s primary concern is not the individual thinker, but the social processes by which knowledge is produced and distributed. Intellectuals in the notebooks are defined not by a particular quality of mind, but by their location within a society’s institutions and practices of knowledge production. As such, they are always embedded within the power structures of their society. To help the reader grasp how radically Gramsci departs from conventional definitions, Gramsci’s understanding of intellectuals is contrasted with...