{"id":13960,"date":"2024-06-07T16:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-07T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2024\/06\/07\/en-philo-serbia-igf-2024-spivak-subaltern\/"},"modified":"2024-06-07T16:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-06-07T07:00:00","slug":"en-philo-serbia-igf-2024-spivak-subaltern","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nkzw.jp\/igf\/2024\/06\/07\/en-philo-serbia-igf-2024-spivak-subaltern\/","title":{"rendered":"Spivakian Subaltern on Serbia IGF 2024 Belgrade \u2014 \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

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This essay applies the conceptual framework of the Postcolonial \/ Deconstruction<\/strong> \u2014 most prominently associated with Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak<\/strong> \u2014 to re-read the Serbia IGF 2024 Belgrade conference. Target audience: researchers, doctoral students, policy analysts, and executives.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Introduction: The Problem<\/h2>\n

Spivak theorized the difficulty of the subaltern's voice being heard as such. The representativeness of "civil society," "developing countries," and "youth" at Serbia IGF carries this difficulty.<\/p>\n

This essay argues that the multistakeholder process of Serbia IGF becomes intelligible in its specificity only through the concept of \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>, and that the concept itself undergoes transformation under the new material of digital space. Describing this mutual transformation is the task of this essay.<\/p>\n

\"Analytical<\/p>\n

Audibility of the digital subaltern<\/h2>\n

The translation process by which voices from further subaltern groups within Serbia (rural, ethnic minorities, the poor) reach IGF involves an essentially ethical question. AI\u6cd5 addresses this superficially but root resolution remains difficult.<\/p>\n

Each session's agenda-setting can be read as a contemporary restaging of the Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak-type problematic.<\/p>\n

The national-level IGF (Serbia IGF) is an attempt to redefine the modern category of the nation-state in the digital era.<\/p>\n

Ethics of translation<\/h2>\n

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak'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.<\/p>\n

1. Application to "AI\u6cd5"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "AI\u6cd5" can be positioned, from the perspective of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>, as a central problematic. In Serbia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around AI\u6cd5 are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

2. Application to "EU\u5019\u88dc\u56fd"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "EU\u5019\u88dc\u56fd" can be positioned, from the perspective of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>, as a derivative problematic. In Serbia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around EU\u5019\u88dc\u56fd are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

3. Application to "\u30c7\u30b8\u30bf\u30eb\u8ee2\u63db"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u30c7\u30b8\u30bf\u30eb\u8ee2\u63db" can be positioned, from the perspective of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Serbia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u30c7\u30b8\u30bf\u30eb\u8ee2\u63db are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

4. Application to "\u56fd\u5185\u6cd5\u6574\u5099"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u56fd\u5185\u6cd5\u6574\u5099" can be positioned, from the perspective of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Serbia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u56fd\u5185\u6cd5\u6574\u5099 are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

5. Application to "\u653f\u5e9c\uff0b\u6c11\u9593\u5354\u50cd"<\/h3>\n

Discussion of "\u653f\u5e9c\uff0b\u6c11\u9593\u5354\u50cd" can be positioned, from the perspective of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>, as a peripheral yet important problematic. In Serbia's context, the three layers of regulatory design, social implementation, and citizen participation around \u653f\u5e9c\uff0b\u6c11\u9593\u5354\u50cd are particularly at stake.<\/p>\n

\"Philosophical<\/p>\n

Implications for Executives and Practitioners<\/h2>\n

The philosophical reflection of this essay is not merely academic. The Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak perspective carries three practical implications for executives operating in Serbia.<\/p>\n

First, it raises the reflexive question of how the firm's business model connects to the logic of \u201cCan the Subaltern Speak?\u201d<\/strong>. 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.<\/p>\n

Academic Positioning and Future Research<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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  1. Verification of the applicability of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak's framework to other IGF conferences<\/li>\n
  2. Comparative contrast between Postcolonial \/ Deconstruction<\/strong> and other theoretical traditions<\/li>\n
  3. Exploration of dialogue possibilities with the indigenous intellectual traditions of Serbia<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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

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    Primary Sources<\/strong><\/p>\n