This book offers a new perception on the role of intellectuals in the modern social order. The author considers the meaning of the notion 'intellectual' today and the impact that recent social changes have had upon the nature of contemporary intellectual culture. The intellectual, Eyerman argues, does not belong to a fixed social stratum and is to be understood in terms of his or her social positioning, rather than in relation to any personal qualities or capabilities. To be an intellectual is to take on and reinvent a role from within the multiple possibilities of tradition and context. Discussing the 'stratification' of intellectual life, this book includes a central contribution to social theory in general as well as to the understanding of modern intellectual culture. . The work will be of interest to students and professionals in the areas of sociology, philosophy and cultural studies.