Butlerian Performativity on Taiwan IGF 2023 Taipei — 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 Taiwan IGF 2023 Taipei 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 Taiwan IGF interrogate performative subject constitution in digital space.

This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Taiwan 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

生成AI discussed in Taiwan'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 (Taiwan 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 2023 conference. We examine that application below.

1. Application to "生成AI"

Discussion of "生成AI" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a central problematic. In Taiwan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around 生成AI 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 Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a derivative problematic. In Taiwan'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 "デジタル民主主義"

Discussion of "デジタル民主主義" can be positioned, from the perspective of Judith Butler's Performative constitution of the subject, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Taiwan's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around デジタル民主主義 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 Taiwan'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 Taiwan'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 Taiwan.

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 Taiwan

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 Taiwan IGF.
• Taiwan IGF 2023 Taipei 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8日 20時42分（記事コンテンツアップ）

— 中澤祐樹