A contemporary reading of the persuasive power of propaganda confronts the deliberate attempt to shape the perceptions, thinking, and behavior of others through a systematic use of language, ritual, and images. The manipulation of perceptions, thinking, and behavior is premeditated to accomplish a purposeworking to shape identities that are inclined to respond favorably to, or in affiliation with, the desired intent of the propagandist. The propagandist's desire to shape identities is inherently political, serving both in the ...