intellectual circle

An intellectual circle is a group of thinkers, writers, artists, or scholars who associate with one another and share ideas, often shaping cultural or academic discourse within their field or era.

Such circles may gather formally in salons or universities, or informally through correspondence and social connections.

She moved in the intellectual circles of 1920s Paris.

The term can carry connotations of exclusivity or elitism, suggesting a closed group that outsiders find difficult to enter.