[page numbers refer to the Norton Anthology, 3rd edition]

1. At the beginning of the selection, AG distinguishes between two types of intellectuals, the “organic” and the “traditional.” Describe each type. What is the social function of each? What are concrete examples of each in our own time/place?
2. AG argues that “traditional” intellectuals are distinguished, in part, by an “esprit de corps,” a sense of themselves as “autonomous and independent.” Why is this? What is the basis for this collective sense?
3. On p. 932, AG asserts that “homo faber cannot be separated from homo sapiens.” What does this mean? How does Gramsci link thinking with working? What implications does this have for Gramsci’s definition of “intellectual” as a social type?
4. Why, for AG, can intellectual no longer be defined in terms of “eloquence”? What is the new ground AG suggests for defining the intellectual?
5. Why are education and educational institutions so crucial to modern society, according to Gramsci? What would AG think about Hunter College? CUNY? Your local P.S.? What, in other words, is the social function of education?
6. What is the distinction Gramsci makes between “civil society” and the “State” at the end of the essay? How do these two systems or zones collaborate in the production and maintenance of “hegemony”? What is the role of “intellectuals,” in Gramsci’s sense, in this structure?