Butlerian Performativity on Global IGF 2011 Nairobi — Performative constitution of the subject

This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Queer Theory / Feminism — most prominently associated with Judith Butler — to re-read the Global IGF 2011 Nairobi 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 Global IGF interrogate performative subject constitution in digital space.

This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Global 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

アクセスと多様性 discussed in Kenya's context involves how reiterated acts in digital space can reproduce or disrupt gender.

The conference theme "Internet as a Catalyst for Change" carries implications beyond a mere policy slogan. It can be positioned as a contemporary reformulation, in digital-era vocabulary, of the kinds of questions Judith Butler 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.

Politics of precarity

Judith Butler's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2011 conference. We examine that application below.

1. Application to "アクセスと多様性"

Discussion of "アクセスと多様性" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a central problematic. In Kenya's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around アクセスと多様性 are particularly at stake.

2. Application to "セキュリティ"

Discussion of "セキュリティ" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a derivative problematic. In Kenya's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around セキュリティ are particularly at stake.

3. Application to "新興課題"

Discussion of "新興課題" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Kenya's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 新興課題 are particularly at stake.

4. Application to "発展"

Discussion of "発展" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Kenya's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 発展 are particularly at stake.

5. Application to "国連連携"

Discussion of "国連連携" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Kenya'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 Judith Butler perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Kenya.

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.

1. Verification of the applicability of Judith Butler's framework to other IGF conferences
2. Comparative contrast between Queer Theory / Feminism and other theoretical traditions
3. Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Kenya

In particular, the third point has the potential to liberate IGF research from West-centric debate and open a more multi-layered discursive space.

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Primary Sources

• IGF Secretariat. Annual Reports of Global IGF.
• Global IGF 2011 Nairobi Conference Materials.
• Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/

Secondary Sources (Philosophy)

• Works of Judith Butler (representative texts of Queer Theory / Feminism)

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*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10月7日 11時43分（記事コンテンツアップ）

— 中澤祐樹