ABSTRACT
Nothing spells conviction quite like manifestos. An increasingly prolific literary, artistic, and sociopolitical genre since the 19th century, manifestos have spawned artistic and political movements, conspiracy myths, art projects, political parties, and ad hoc rebellions. They call for change, for overthrowing the status quo, for denouncing entire governments. The documents, often an interplay of words and images, use specific visual and linguistic devices to pull in their readers, such as the future or future perfect, pithy phrases, short sentences, and bold imagery reminiscent of posters or marketing campaigns. It is a preferred channel of communication for alt-right fringe groups as well as leftist extremists who seek to shock, surprise, and spark action.
This chapter identifies and explores manifestos as a genre of conviction to place them within the larger context and history of the genre’s political aesthetic. What makes a manifesto a manifesto? How does conviction speak through it? Theories drawn from intercultural communication and media studies research inform this novel approach to the manifesto genre that should include conviction as an element of inquiry for the analysis of the 21st-century manifesto expression.
