Foucauldian Governmentality on USA IGF 2012 Washington D.C. — Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation

This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Post-structuralism — most prominently associated with Michel Foucault — to re-read the USA IGF 2012 Washington D.C. conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.

Introduction: The Problem

Read through Foucault's "Security, Territory, Population", the USA IGF appears as a laboratory for contemporary governmental technologies — neither sovereign nor disciplinary power, but the management of populations of users.

This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of USA IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.

Governance as governmental dispositif

The themes — インターネット自由, セキュリティ, プライバシー — debated at Washington D.C. in 2012 each presuppose a particular configuration of knowledge and power. The multistakeholder discourse functions as a normative apparatus that shapes subjects into "responsible internet users" and "appropriate platform operators" through voluntary consent rather than coercion.

Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Michel Foucault-type problematic.

The national-level IGF (USA IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.

The constitution of the internet subject

Michel Foucault's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2012 conference. We examine that application below.

1. Application to "インターネット自由"

Discussion of "インターネット自由" can be positioned, from the perspective of Michel Foucault's Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation, as a central problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around インターネット自由 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 Michel Foucault's Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation, as a derivative problematic. In USA'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 "プライバシー"

Discussion of "プライバシー" can be positioned, from the perspective of Michel Foucault's Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In USA's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around プライバシー 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 Michel Foucault's Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In USA'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 Michel Foucault's Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In USA'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 Michel Foucault perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in USA.

First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Power/knowledge dispositif and subjectivation. 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 Michel Foucault's framework to other IGF conferences
2. Comparative contrast between Post-structuralism and other theoretical traditions
3. Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of USA

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 USA IGF.
• USA IGF 2012 Washington D.C. Conference Materials.
• Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/

Secondary Sources (Philosophy)

• Works of Michel Foucault (representative texts of Post-structuralism)

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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12日 14時23分（記事コンテンツアップ）

— 中澤祐樹