158 Between Private and Public
nother problem with a Habermasian concept of the modern pub-A
lic sphere is that rational debate is seen as the only legitimate or viable
form of participation. If the public sphere is recognized as an arena where
group identities and interests are always at stake, there is a need for a
more all-encompassing “politics of presence” that allows for the inclu-
sion of other forms of critical expression and nonverbal modes of com-
munication, such as bodily comportment, appearance, dressing styles
and the nature of the language, rather than only its substance.^23 In other
words, a politics of presence, as a broadened notion of engagement in the
public, allows for the inclusion of a far greater variety of ways in which
people “make a statement,” as it were. This is especially important when
discussing contributions of subaltern groups who have fewer opportuni-
ties to take part in settings of “rational argumentation” and may be less
well versed in presenting their points of view in such formats. Hence, the
physical presence of migrant domestic workers in the public is a major
field of investigation with which our work engages.
Subaltern public spaces
There is little doubt that gradually migrant domestic workers have become
present in public space, but the ways in which they become present, and
the meanings of such presence, need further scrutiny. Whereas in many
settings they have developed some form of subaltern publicness, with as
major sites the market and the church, often their presence is structured
along lines of nationality and, to a lesser extent, religion.^24
Commercial spaces, recognizable bodies and “ethnic neighborhoods”
Commercial spaces are particularly prominent sites for migrant domestic
workers to come together, such as the shops where they buy items of food
and dress, the restaurants where they spend time, and the sites of entertain-
ment they frequent. The way in which these cater to a particular national
or ethnic community is often visible to the public through, for instance, the
nature of the goods put on display and the language used on the storefront
and audible through the language spoken and the music played. While such