This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Science and Technology Studies — most prominently associated with Bruno Latour — to re-read the Tonga IGF 2023 Nuku'alofa conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
Latour's actor-network theory in Reassembling the Social treats humans and non-humans symmetrically. Tonga IGF can be read as an assembly of protocols, cables, regulations, and humans.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Tonga IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Human and non-human actors, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Assemblies of protocols, cables, humans
AI debated at Nuku'alofa typifies treating technical artifacts as political actors. Latour's "parliament of things" is a theoretical extension of IGF.
Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Bruno Latour-type problematic.
The national-level IGF (Tonga IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.
Parliament of things
Bruno Latour's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2023 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "AI"
Discussion of "AI" can be positioned, from the perspective of Bruno Latour's Human and non-human actors, as a central problematic. In Tonga's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around AI are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "接続性"
Discussion of "接続性" can be positioned, from the perspective of Bruno Latour's Human and non-human actors, as a derivative problematic. In Tonga's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 接続性 are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "気候変動"
Discussion of "気候変動" can be positioned, from the perspective of Bruno Latour's Human and non-human actors, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Tonga's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 気候変動 are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "国内法整備"
Discussion of "国内法整備" can be positioned, from the perspective of Bruno Latour's Human and non-human actors, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Tonga's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 国内法整備 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "政府＋民間協働"
Discussion of "政府＋民間協働" can be positioned, from the perspective of Bruno Latour's Human and non-human actors, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Tonga's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 政府＋民間協働 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Bruno Latour perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Tonga.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Human and non-human actors. Second, in dialogue with regulators and civil society, it suggests dimensions of consensus formation that purely technical arguments cannot reach. Third, it indicates that the long-term ground of business legitimacy lies not so much in technical advantage or market share as in participation in such philosophical-normative debates.
Academic Positioning and Future Research
The argument of this essay attempts to graft a philosophical perspective onto the mainstream political-science and legal approaches to internet governance research. Three future research questions follow.
- Verification of the applicability of Bruno Latour's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between Science and Technology Studies and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Tonga
In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.
Primary Sources
- IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of Tonga IGF.
- Tonga IGF 2023 Nuku'alofa Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Bruno Latour (representative texts of Science and Technology Studies)
*This piece belongs to the academic essays (philosophy series). The author's views do not necessarily represent those of any institutional affiliation. Feedback and critique are welcome.*
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第1稿投稿 2026年6月11日 14時01分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
