This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Queer Theory / Feminism — most prominently associated with Judith Butler — to re-read the Youth LACIGF 2023 Buenos Aires conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
In Gender Trouble, Butler argues that gender is constituted through reiterated acts. Discussions of gender and vulnerability at Youth LACIGF interrogate performative subject constitution in digital space.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Youth LACIGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Performative constitution of the subject, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Gender and the digital subject
AI discussed in Argentina's context involves how reiterated acts in digital space can reproduce or disrupt gender.
Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Judith Butler-type problematic.
The Youth IGF practically raises the philosophical problematic of intergenerational justice.
Politics of precarity
Judith Butler'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 Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a central problematic. In Argentina's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around AI are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "若者の声"
Discussion of "若者の声" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a derivative problematic. In Argentina's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 若者の声 are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "メンタルヘルス"
Discussion of "メンタルヘルス" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Argentina's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around メンタルヘルス are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "若者育成"
Discussion of "若者育成" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Argentina's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 若者育成 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "若者のSNS利用"
Discussion of "若者のSNS利用" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Argentina's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 若者のSNS利用 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Judith Butler perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Argentina.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Performative constitution of the subject. 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 Judith Butler's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between Queer Theory / Feminism and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Argentina
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 Youth LACIGF.
- Youth LACIGF 2023 Buenos Aires Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Judith Butler (representative texts of Queer Theory / Feminism)
*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.*
更新履歴
第1稿投稿 2026年6月9日 16時02分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
