If democracy is effective negotiation and discourse, can there be democracy when one group is prevented from joining the debate? There are many institutional prejudices that prevent certain groups’ voices from participating in the ongoing collective discourse of democracy, and semi-isolated counterpublics sometimes are the best way for these groups to begin the process of democracy.

This was the case for women in Korea for decades: their conversations and opinions, often in domestic settings, were never elevated to the level of political discourse. As this dynamic slowly changed, women (re)gained their status as political figures, and, in 2010, six women were elected to the Anyang City Counsel. Suzanne Lacy’s Anyang Women’s Agenda (2010) bridges the legacy of female counterpublics and public female representation. These staged conversations in domestic settings help remind us that, when our voices are suppressed, power can be found and developed in small groups and translated to the general public.