This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Political Philosophy / Aesthetics — most prominently associated with Jacques Rancière — to re-read the Global IGF 2024 Riyadh conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.
Introduction: The Problem
Rancière conceives politics as reconfiguring the distribution of the sensible. Global IGF is a practice of redrawing the boundary of who can speak and what registers as an agenda in international discussion.
This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Global IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Distribution of the sensible, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.
Redistributing the visible/audible
Each time the voice of Saudi Arabia, of the Global South, of youth, or of indigenous peoples becomes audible at IGF, the distribution of the sensible is reconfigured. This is what Rancière calls "the moment of politics."
The conference theme "Building our Multistakeholder Digital Future" carries implications beyond a mere policy slogan. It can be positioned as a contemporary reformulation, in digital-era vocabulary, of the kinds of questions Jacques Rancière problematized.
The form of the Global IGF stands between the principle of national sovereignty and the logic of a global public realm that transcends it.
The part of those who have no part
Jacques Rancière's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2024 conference. We examine that application below.
1. Application to "GDC実装"
Discussion of "GDC実装" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jacques Rancière's Distribution of the sensible, as a central problematic. In Saudi Arabia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around GDC実装 are particularly at stake.
2. Application to "AIガバナンス"
Discussion of "AIガバナンス" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jacques Rancière's Distribution of the sensible, as a derivative problematic. In Saudi Arabia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around AIガバナンス are particularly at stake.
3. Application to "格差"
Discussion of "格差" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jacques Rancière's Distribution of the sensible, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Saudi Arabia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 格差 are particularly at stake.
4. Application to "NRIs強化"
Discussion of "NRIs強化" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jacques Rancière's Distribution of the sensible, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Saudi Arabia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around NRIs強化 are particularly at stake.
5. Application to "国連連携"
Discussion of "国連連携" can be positioned, from the perspective of Jacques Rancière's Distribution of the sensible, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Saudi Arabia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 国連連携 are particularly at stake.
Implications for Executives and Practitioners
The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Jacques Rancière perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Saudi Arabia.
First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Distribution of the sensible. 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 Jacques Rancière's framework to other IGF conferences
- Comparative contrast between Political Philosophy / Aesthetics and other theoretical traditions
- Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Saudi Arabia
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 Global IGF.
- Global IGF 2024 Riyadh Conference Materials.
- Japan IGF Support Organization. https://japanigf.jp/
- Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/
Secondary Sources (Philosophy)
- Works of Jacques Rancière (representative texts of Political Philosophy / Aesthetics)
*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3日 20時39分（記事コンテンツアップ）
— 中澤祐樹
