Mythmakers

This unique collection brings together various scholars of sociology and political science to explore the status and activities of the intellectuals and the intelligentsia past, present and future. The intellectuals and intelligentsia perform a social role as well as a mental function and are products of their age and country. Their role in various parts of the globe and in different historical periods is compared and contrasted. Long-range historical perspective is provided by an essay on the sociology of intellectual creativity in the axial period of human history. In addition, the role of the intellectual and intelligentsia and its implications for the future development of Third World nations is considered.

?Most sociologists who write on itellectuals portray them as dissenters and critics, as mythbreakers. The contributors to this volume, in contrast, see intellectuals as mythmakers who strive to exercise power in their own right. This is a healthy corrective to a onesided interpretation . . . Three contributions stand out: Martindale's paper on men of knowledge in ancient societies; Gella's first essay, on the structural definition of the intelligentsia; and Popiel and Mohan's chapter on intellectuals and powers. . . .?-Journal of Comparative Family Studies, ?This is an interesting and readable volume, a challenging one on an important subject. All essays deal with major issues. Raj Mohan, an indefatigable and enthusiastic social scientist and editor, has produced a most competent piece of work. The volume has an impressive bibliography and a good index. It is an important and original, in a sense courageous, study by a group of scholars.?-International Social Science Review, "This is an interesting and readable volume, a challenging one on an important subject. All essays deal with major issues. Raj Mohan, an indefatigable and enthusiastic social scientist and editor, has produced a most competent piece of work. The volume has an impressive bibliography and a good index. It is an important and original, in a sense courageous, study by a group of scholars."-International Social Science Review, "Most sociologists who write on itellectuals portray them as dissenters and critics, as mythbreakers. The contributors to this volume, in contrast, see intellectuals as mythmakers who strive to exercise power in their own right. This is a healthy corrective to a onesided interpretation . . . Three contributions stand out: Martindale's paper on men of knowledge in ancient societies; Gella's first essay, on the structural definition of the intelligentsia; and Popiel and Mohan's chapter on intellectuals and powers. . . ."-Journal of Comparative Family Studies

RAJ P.MOHAN is Professor of Sociology at Auburn University in Alabama.