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ethnic group

vr.tr.ethnic-group · thing-q41710

Let an agent handle ethnic groups respectfully by self-identification, language, population and rights, using community names and sourced data.

Thing Registry Society, people and institutions SOC.ORG
Bundle → Layer → Finding → QuestionsClassifiersWhat it isWhy it existsDistinguishing featuresWhat robots and AI may and may not doMoral aspectsOwnersLinks to other meta-modelsIdentity and identifiersDirect propertiesRecognitionCapabilities and actionsHazards and failure modesStandards and interfacesContext of useSources

Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled

4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions

Identity Which group.

Names

Self-designation.

Names

Names.

  1. What does the group call itself? provenance
  2. Which names are outdated or offensive? boundary

Markers

Language and culture.

Markers

Shared attributes.

  1. Which language, culture or history is shared? definition
  2. According to community sources? provenance
Population Numbers and places.

Numbers

Census data.

Numbers

Population.

  1. How many people identify with the group, according to which census? measurement
  2. How is identity recorded? definition

Distribution

Where.

Distribution

Distribution.

  1. Where do members live? provenance
  2. Is there a diaspora? definition
Rights Minority protection.

Law

Legal status.

Law

Legal status.

  1. Is the group recognised as a minority or Indigenous people? provenance
  2. What rights follow? boundary

Concerns

Rights bodies.

Concerns

Rights concerns.

  1. Have rights bodies raised concerns about treatment of the group? provenance
  2. Which bodies? provenance
Culture Heritage.

Heritage

Traditions.

Heritage

Heritage.

  1. Which traditions are central? provenance
  2. How are they safeguarded? definition

Language

Vitality.

Language

Language vitality.

  1. Is the heritage language still spoken? measurement
  2. Are there revitalisation efforts? provenance

Classifiers Filled

Family
Thing Registry
Category
Society, people and institutions
Entry kind
thing
Plane
SOC
Domain
SOC.ORG
Other names and narrower kinds
Southeast Asians, indigenous peoples in Ecuador, Lost Canadians, North Halmahera peoples, Karo Batak pople, Waranka, Ginting Suka, confessional community, ethnoreligious group, El, Bajo, diaspora or migration by origin and host country

What it is Filled

A group of people who identify with each other on the basis of shared attributes such as ancestry, language, culture, history, religion or homeland, as distinct from other groups.

Why it exists Filled

Let an agent handle ethnic groups respectfully by self-identification, language, population and rights, using community names and sourced data.

Distinguishing features Filled

  • Shared identity and heritage
  • Self-defined
  • Boundaries fluid and contested
  • Distinct from race and nationality

What robots and AI may and may not do Filled

Must not

  • Assign a person to an ethnic group without their own identification.
  • Use ethnicity to target, exclude or persecute people.
  • Spread stereotypes or hate about an ethnic group.
  • Publish ethnic data about individuals without consent.

Only with a human decision

  • Collecting ethnicity data about people.

May

  • Report ethnic groups from census and scholarly sources, using the names groups use for themselves.
  • Describe cultures respectfully and with their diversity.

Moral aspects Filled

  • Ethnic labels have been used for persecution and genocide.
  • Self-identification and dignity must guide how groups are described.

Who is affected

  • Members of the group
  • Minority communities

Owners Filled

Steward

Nobody owns it; each group speaks for itself through its own institutions.

Links to other meta-models Filled

parent

  • Q851990 - registry parent class

related

  • population group - category
  • language and culture - attributes
  • minority rights law - law
  • race and nationality - concepts

What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled

Identity and identifiers required Filled

  • Vercy registry: vr.tr.ethnic-group
  • Wikidata: Q41710 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q41710)

Direct properties not applicable Not applicable

Not applicable

Plane SOC: no invented physical properties.

Recognition optional Filled

  • Self-identification
  • Language and cultural markers
  • Census categories differ by country
  • Not defined by appearance; identity is self-defined and cultural.

Capabilities and actions required Filled

  • learn about a group from its own sources
  • use preferred names
  • cite census data with definitions
  • protect minority rights

Hazards and failure modes required Filled

  • Using exonyms considered offensive
  • Stereotyping
  • Unsourced population figures

Standards and interfaces required Filled

  • Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities
  • UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
  • National census standards

Context of use required Filled

  • Recognising shared identity, culture and heritage.
  • national majorities
  • ethnic minorities
  • Indigenous peoples
  • diaspora communities
  • regional and subgroup identities

Sources Filled

  1. Wikidata item Q41710: ethnic group - identity and sense of the item
  2. Wikipedia: Ethnic group - general description of the item

Open questions

  • How should self-designations be prioritised?
  • How should census categories be linked?
  • How should contested identities be represented?

Machine files

Card as JSON Specification Card backlog vercy.card/1

Provenance

thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed

Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q41710/spec.json