Who Are the Intellectuals?

This chapter provides a definition of “intellectuals,” distinguishing between professional academicians and broader public intellectuals, and offers a methodology for locating them in the context of Malaysian society. Applying these procedures, 166 members of an intellectual elite were identified, of whom 133 (80%) were successfully interviewed. The interviews, to which intellectuals responded favourably, were lengthy and detailed, often supplemented by hours of more informal interactions. The chapter also discusses whether those interviewed thought a foreigner could have a real feeling for Malaysian society, or whether they considered that achievable only by a local person. On this important question, the intellectuals concluded that either an insider or informed outsider could succeed. This chapter concludes by observing that the intellectual elite as defined here was composed of more men than women and was characterised more by literature and the humanities than by the social, policy, or natural sciences.