Agambenian State of Exception on YouthDIG 2020 Virtual — Homo sacer and bare life

This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Post-Foucault — most prominently associated with Giorgio Agamben — to re-read the YouthDIG 2020 Virtual conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.

Introduction: The Problem

In Homo Sacer and State of Exception, Agamben analyzes how contemporary governance normalizes the exception. Cybersecurity discourse and emergency internet shutdowns represent a form of this state of exception.

This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of YouthDIG becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of Homo sacer and bare life, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.

Cyber state of exception

COVID debated at Virtual in 2020 entails the threshold question of who counts as a citizen to be protected and who as the "bare life" to be surveilled. The operation of related legislation in EU reveals how this threshold is drawn.

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

The Youth IGF practically raises the philosophical problematic of intergenerational justice.

Digital homo sacer

Giorgio Agamben's concepts are not confined to abstract philosophical discussion; they apply to the concrete agenda items debated at the 2020 conference. We examine that application below.

1. Application to "COVID"

Discussion of "COVID" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a central problematic. In EU's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around COVID are particularly at stake.

2. Application to "EU若者の声"

Discussion of "EU若者の声" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a derivative problematic. In EU's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around EU若者の声 are particularly at stake.

3. Application to "メッセージング"

Discussion of "メッセージング" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In EU's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around メッセージング are particularly at stake.

4. Application to "若者育成"

Discussion of "若者育成" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In EU'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 "メンタルヘルス"

Discussion of "メンタルヘルス" can be positioned, from the perspective of Giorgio Agamben's Homo sacer and bare life, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In EU'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.

Implications for Executives and Practitioners

The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Giorgio Agamben perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in EU.

First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of Homo sacer and bare life. 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 Giorgio Agamben's framework to other IGF conferences
2. Comparative contrast between Post-Foucault and other theoretical traditions
3. Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of EU

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 YouthDIG.
• YouthDIG 2020 Virtual Conference Materials.
• Nakazawa Yuki Blog. https://nkzw.jp/category/igf/

Secondary Sources (Philosophy)

• Works of Giorgio Agamben (representative texts of Post-Foucault)

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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.*

更新履歴

第1稿投稿 2026年10月11日 12時49分（記事コンテンツアップ）

— 中澤祐樹