Intellectuals in Developing Societies

by Syed Hussein Alatas

Intellectuals in Developing Societies was first published in 1977, alongside The Myth of the Lazy Native. It was written after Syed Hussein Alatas’ withdrawal from active politics.

Alatas’ experience as the national chairperson of Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia and presence in the Senate in brought him face-to-face with problems that were largely the result of the kind of elites ruling the country. Intellectuals flourish during times of crisis; but in periods of relative calm, they must form a community, without which there will not be conscious and intelligent solutions to the problems faced by developing societies. These problems must be met by intellectual justice, not with the exploitative ignorance of the fools. Only after the emergence of such a community can the developing societies of our world escape the clutches of the fools and chart their own course.

132 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2025

About the author

Syed Hussein Alatas (September 17, 1928 – January 23, 2007) was a Malaysian academician, sociologist, founder of social science organizations, and former politician. He was once Vice-Chancellor of the University of Malaya in the 1980s, and formed the Parti Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia (Gerakan). Syed Hussein wrote several books on corruption, multi-racialism, imperialism, and intellectual captivity as part of the colonial, and post colonial, project, the most famous being The Myth of the Lazy Native.