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Manifestos of the contemporary
What is the purpose of writing a manifesto – a relic of modernism – today? Most scholarly publications on manifestos and cultural production focus mainly on the historical and avant-garde roots of the genre, whereas this special issue of Culture, Theory and Critique studies the manifesto’s contemporary significance, offering a timely and critical reappraisal of the manifesto’s force and authority across different domains. It emphasises the plurality of manifestos as well as their capacity to transform and adapt to varying contexts and intentions, highlighting how the genre is affected by socio-political forces and mutates across wider economic, cultural and epistemic structures. To do so, this special issue presents contributions employing an array of contemporary case studies. Ranging from working class to brand-driven manifestos and from manifestos pertaining to post-humanist and black feminist theory to scam letters and contemporary art exhibitions, the articles in this issue explore the manifesto as a form with a capacity to engage, stir and provoke.