{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.germans","code":"thing-q42884","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q42884/","name":"Germans","alternateNames":["Berliners","Luxembourgers","Bavarians","Austrians","Liechtensteiners","Amish","Austrians in Venezuela","Austrians abroad","Germans in Bulgaria","population present - Czechoslovak citisens of German nationality","German Japanese","Belgian Germans"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Society, people and institutions","entryKind":"thing","plane":"SOC","domain":["SOC.PER"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"The people of Germany and, more broadly, people who identify as ethnically or culturally German, including regional identities such as Bavarians and Berliners and German-speaking communities and diasporas abroad; German identity is defined by citizenship, language, culture and self-identification, and neighbouring German-speaking peoples such as Austrians, Swiss and Luxembourgers have their own national identities.","purpose":"Let an agent describe Germans respectfully and accurately, use self-identification and avoid stereotypes, distinguish nationality, ethnicity and language, and handle history and regional identities with attribution.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["National and cultural identity","Regional diversity","Diaspora communities","Self-identification"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"identity","name":"Identity","description":"Who counts.","layers":[{"id":"definitions","name":"Definitions","description":"Nationality and culture.","findings":[{"id":"definitions-finding","name":"Definitions","description":"Definitions.","questions":[{"text":"Is the question about citizens of Germany, ethnic Germans or German speakers?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"How do people concerned identify themselves?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"neighbours","name":"Neighbours","description":"Other German speakers.","findings":[{"id":"neighbours-finding","name":"Neighbours","description":"Other German speakers.","questions":[{"text":"Are Austrians, Swiss Germans and Luxembourgers described as distinct peoples?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which entry fits them?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"regions","name":"Regions","description":"Regional and diaspora identities.","layers":[{"id":"regional","name":"Regional","description":"Regional identities.","findings":[{"id":"regional-finding","name":"Regional","description":"Regional identities.","questions":[{"text":"What characterises this regional identity, such as Bavarian or Berliner, as described by its people?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Are stereotypes avoided?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"diaspora","name":"Diaspora","description":"Germans abroad.","findings":[{"id":"diaspora-finding","name":"Diaspora","description":"Diaspora.","questions":[{"text":"Where do German diaspora and minority communities live, and what is their history?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which communities, such as the Amish, are of German origin but distinct?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"Historical accounts.","layers":[{"id":"periods","name":"Periods","description":"Sourced history.","findings":[{"id":"periods-finding","name":"Periods","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How do historians describe this period of German history, including the Nazi era and division?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Are victims and perspectives represented?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"memory","name":"Memory","description":"Remembrance culture.","findings":[{"id":"memory-finding","name":"Memory","description":"Remembrance.","questions":[{"text":"How does Germany approach remembrance and historical responsibility, according to official and scholarly sources?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which memorials and museums are central?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"culture","name":"Culture","description":"Society today.","layers":[{"id":"society","name":"Society","description":"Contemporary society.","findings":[{"id":"society-finding","name":"Society","description":"Society.","questions":[{"text":"What do official statistics say about the population, migration and languages of Germany today?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"How is integration debated, with positions attributed?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"customs","name":"Customs","description":"Culture and customs.","findings":[{"id":"customs-finding","name":"Customs","description":"Customs.","questions":[{"text":"Which cultural traditions, festivals and customs are notable, as described by their communities?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which etiquette applies for visitors?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Describe Germans, their regions, history and culture from published sources.","Report population and demographic figures with their source."],"mustNot":["Use stereotypes or slurs about Germans or any group.","Attribute collective guilt or merit to individuals because of their nationality.","Infer or record a person's ethnicity or nationality without their consent.","Use German identity to exclude citizens of other origins or support ethnic nationalism."],"requiresHuman":["Using ethnic or national data in decisions about individuals."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["National and ethnic identity can be used to include or to exclude.","The history of the twentieth century makes ethnic claims about Germans especially sensitive."],"affectedParties":["Germans in Germany and abroad","Minorities and migrants in Germany","German-speaking communities elsewhere"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns a people; each person owns their own identity.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q101094841","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Q22947","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"Western Europeans","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"German language","type":"related","note":"language"},{"target":"Russians","type":"related","note":"other European people"},{"target":"minority group","type":"related","note":"German minorities abroad"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.germans","Wikidata: Q42884 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42884)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Citizens and people of German culture","Regional and diaspora identities","German speakers in Austria and Switzerland are not Germans by nationality","Not physical; a people and identity."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["distinguish citizenship, ethnicity and language","describe regional identities and diasporas","explain German history and culture with attribution","avoid stereotypes"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["National stereotypes","Conflating Germans with all German speakers","One-sided historical accounts"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["German nationality law","Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities for German minorities abroad","Anti-discrimination law"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Understanding a people and national identity.","citizens of Germany","regional identities such as Bavarians, Saxons and Berliners","German diaspora communities","German-speaking minorities abroad","historical German populations"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q42884: Germans","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q42884","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Germans","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germans","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should regional identities be separate entries?","How should diaspora data be linked?","How should historical periods be attributed?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q42884/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q42884/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T19:39:11Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:52:00+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane SOC: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}