Cultural Studies Domain Ontology

FLOW ALGEBRA
TITLE: Cultural Studies Domain Ontology
VERSION: 1.0
DOMAIN: Social Science Domains / Cultural Studies
SOURCE_URL: https://kirethresearch.org/booksai-core/ontologies/domain-ontologies/social-science-domains/cultural-studies-domain-ontology.html
STATUS: Domain-based draft; source page content not independently verified.

FLOW "CulturalStudiesDomainOntology" v1.0

ENTITY_TYPES:
  CulturalPractice: {id: string, name: string, community: Community?, period: TimePeriod?, context: Context?}
  CulturalArtefact: {id: string, name: string, medium: string?, creator: Agent?, period: TimePeriod?}
  CulturalText: {id: string, title: string, genre: string?, language: Language?, medium: string?}
  Community: {id: string, name: string, location: Place?, period: TimePeriod?}
  Identity: {id: string, label: string, dimensions: list[string], context: Context?}
  Representation: {id: string, subject: Entity, medium: string, framing: string?}
  Discourse: {id: string, topic: string, context: Context?, period: TimePeriod?}
  Institution: {id: string, name: string, type: string?, location: Place?}
  MediaPlatform: {id: string, name: string, format: string?, governance: string?}
  CulturalMovement: {id: string, name: string, period: TimePeriod?, location: Place?}
  Norm: {id: string, description: string, community: Community?, period: TimePeriod?}
  Value: {id: string, description: string, community: Community?, context: Context?}
  Agent: {id: string, name: string, role: string?}
  Language: {id: string, name: string}
  Place: {id: string, name: string, coordinates: string?}
  TimePeriod: {start: date?, end: date?}
  Context: {social: string?, historical: string?, political: string?, economic: string?}
  Evidence: {id: string, source: string, method: string?, date: date?, reliability: float?}

RELATIONSHIP_TYPES:
  PRACTISED_BY(CulturalPractice, Community)
  PRODUCED_BY(CulturalArtefact|CulturalText, Agent|Community)
  REPRESENTS(CulturalText|CulturalArtefact|Representation, Entity)
  CIRCULATES_THROUGH(CulturalText|CulturalArtefact|Discourse, MediaPlatform|Institution)
  ASSOCIATED_WITH(Identity|Norm|Value|CulturalPractice, Community)
  SHAPED_BY(Entity, Context|Institution|Discourse)
  CONTESTS(Discourse|CulturalMovement|CulturalText, Norm|Representation|Discourse)
  REINTERPRETS(Agent|Community|CulturalMovement, CulturalText|CulturalArtefact|CulturalPractice)
  EMERGED_DURING(Entity, TimePeriod)
  LOCATED_IN(Entity, Place)
  INFLUENCES(Entity, Entity)
  SUPPORTED_BY(Assertion, Evidence)

OPERATIONS:
  IDENTIFY(entity, evidence) -> typed_entity
  CONTEXTUALISE(entity, historical_context, social_context) -> contextualised_entity
  MAP_RELATIONSHIPS(entities, evidence) -> graph
  COMPARE_REPRESENTATIONS(subject, texts, contexts) -> comparison
  TRACE_CIRCULATION(artefact, platforms, periods) -> circulation_graph
  ANALYSE_DISCOURSE(corpus, method, context) -> findings
  EVALUATE_INTERPRETATION(claim, evidence, alternatives) -> qualified_claim

INFERENCE_RULES:
  R1: IF PRACTISED_BY(practice, community) AND LOCATED_IN(community, place)
      THEN CANDIDATE_CONTEXT(practice, place); do not infer exclusive geographic scope.
  R2: IF REPRESENTS(text, subject) AND PRODUCED_BY(text, agent)
      THEN ATTRIBUTED_REPRESENTATION(subject, agent, text); not objective identity of subject.
  R3: IF CONTESTS(movement, norm) AND ASSOCIATED_WITH(norm, community)
      THEN POSSIBLE_CULTURAL_CONFLICT(movement, community); requires contextual evidence.
  R4: IF CIRCULATES_THROUGH(text, platform) AND SHAPED_BY(platform, institution)
      THEN POSSIBLE_MEDIATION(text, institution); causal claim requires separate support.
  R5: IF two cultural labels appear similar across communities
      THEN TEST_CONTEXTUAL_EQUIVALENCE before merging entities.

CONSTRAINTS:
  - Do not treat communities as culturally homogeneous.
  - Do not infer individual identity from community membership.
  - Preserve contested meanings and multiple interpretations.
  - Separate documented observations from theoretical interpretation and causal claims.
  - Attach time, place, source, and research method to contextual assertions where available.
  - Respect ethical limits, consent, and sensitive cultural knowledge.

CONFIDENCE:
  range: [0.0, 1.0]
  evidence_factors: [source_reliability, triangulation, contextual_fit, methodological_quality]
  policy: Record uncertainty; do not fabricate confidence scores.

SEMANTIC_EQUIVALENCE:
  strategy: context_sensitive
  checks: [definition, community, historical_period, usage, theoretical_framework]
  labels: [equivalent, related, contested, distinct, unknown]
  policy: No automatic equivalence from shared labels alone.

PROVENANCE:
  required: [source_id, source_type, retrieval_or_observation_date, attribution]
  optional: [research_method, licence, version, page_reference]

FLOW_HASH:
  algorithm: SHA-256
  input: canonical_serialisation(ontology_version, entity_types, relationships, rules, constraints)
  value: COMPUTE_AT_DEPLOYMENT

UPDATE_MODEL:
  triggers: [new_evidence, revised_interpretation, terminology_change, source_correction]
  steps: [validate_source, preserve_previous_version, update_graph, rerun_constraints, recalculate_hash]
  conflict_policy: retain_attributed_alternative_interpretations

AI_CONSUMPTION:
  format: UTF-8 plain text
  outputs: [typed_knowledge_graph, contextual_assertions, evidence_links, qualified_inferences]
  requirements: [traceability, uncertainty_preservation, cultural_context, non_stereotyping]
  prohibited: [unsupported_identity_inference, ungrounded_causal_claim, context_free_equivalence]

END FLOW