peuples

Peuples is the French term used in social sciences to refer to distinct groups of people who share a sense of collective identity, often rooted in language, culture, territory, history, or ancestry. In anthropology and political discourse, the concept overlaps with ethnic groups, nations, and indigenous communities, and is used to discuss how such groups maintain and express their identity within larger states or across borders.

Peuples are not defined solely by genetics or by formal sovereignty. A people can be a minority within a country, a stateless nation, or a culturally cohesive group spanning several states. The concept emphasizes shared identity and cultural continuity rather than political status alone.

International discussions emphasize the rights and protections of peoples, especially indigenous peoples and minority groups. Topics include language and cultural rights, education, access to justice, preservation of traditional practices, and, in some cases, self-government or autonomy within or beyond state borders.

Examples of recognized peoples include Indigenous communities and ethnolinguistic groups worldwide. The term is often central in debates about self-determination, representation, minority rights, and cultural heritage in multilingual and post-colonial contexts.

In French, the plural form is peuples; in English, the corresponding plural is peoples. The two forms reflect related ideas but different grammatical usages: peuples refers to multiple groups in French, while peoples signals multiple distinct groups in English.