The “ivory tower” intellectual

Chapter 2 looks at “ivory tower” intellectuals – an expression which is conventionally understood as authentic intellectuals primarily because of their link and involvement with research, or knowledge production, in academia. Also known as the intelligentsia, this is a distinct group of people in society who are seen as not only the highly educated class but also the kind of individuals who lead sheltered lives. This rather standard and conventional idea of an intellectual as a scholar who possesses the kind of expertise that enables him or her to teach and undertake research in a university, or related institutions of higher learning, is fully explored in this chapter. My argument is that, because of their specialised knowledge, such intellectuals (in Africa) should act as role models by making great efforts to remain visible and available for crucial interventions in society. This is because, with few exceptions, most black African intellectuals who are located in the ivory tower rarely play such an interventionist and exemplary role.