manifiestos

Manifiestos are public declarations of aims, motives, or beliefs issued by individuals, groups, or movements. They are typically polemical, concise, and programmatic documents that seek to persuade, recruit supporters, or declare a new direction. While their tone and content vary, manifestos usually present a set of principles, goals, and calls to action, often challenging established norms or authorities. They appear across politics, art, literature, philosophy, and social movements, and can function as both rallying cries and programmatic platforms.

Historically, manifestos have helped crystallize new movements and ideologies. The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels laid out the theory and aims of communism. The Futurist Manifesto (1909) by Filippo Tommaso Marinetti proclaimed a break with the past and a celebration of modern technology and speed. The Surrealist Manifesto (1924) by André Breton defined surrealism as a revolutionary method of the imagination. The SCUM Manifesto (1967) by Valerie Solanas offered a provocative critique of gender and society. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, manifestos have also emerged in digital and activist contexts, often circulated online and adapted by new movements.

Critics argue that manifestos can be utopian, exclusionary, or dogmatic, while supporters credit them with articulating clear visions and mobilizing action. Regardless of reception, manifestos remain a prominent vehicle for political, cultural, and social proclamation. In Spanish, the plural is manifiestos.