This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Queer Theory / Feminism — most prominently associated with Judith Butler — to re-read the Australia IGF 2014 Canberra 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 Australia IGF interrogate performative subject constitution in digital space.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Australia IGF 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
接続性 discussed in Australia'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 national-level IGF (Australia IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.
Politics of precarity
Judith Butler's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2014 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "接続性"
Discussion of "接続性" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a central problematic. In Australia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 接続性 are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "プライバシー"
Discussion of "プライバシー" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a derivative problematic. In Australia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around プライバシー are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "デジタル経済"
Discussion of "デジタル経済" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Australia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around デジタル経済 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 Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Australia'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 Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Australia'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 Judith Butler perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Australia.
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 Australia
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 Australia IGF.
- Australia IGF 2014 Canberra 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5月31日 12時40分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
