The objective of this study is to explore possible foundations for bias in the structure of classifications with a view to more equitable practice.
Classification is a powerful tool for organizing anything, but it is also frequently biased.
The bias may relate to race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexuality or other factors. This tendency toward bias is well-documented, but analyses and proposed solutions have addressed only acute biases in particular systems, not the systems themselves. The proposed research will explore the possibility that the systemic roots of bias are culturally specific and are reflected in the structure of conventional classificatory practices. Each of these questions will be addressed through a discourse analysis of selected texts from a Greek-derived European culture that has spread to other continents through colonization. The Order of Things for preliminary verification.