Tensions between populism and feminist politics: reproduction of a masculine party culture in Podemos

Embracing left populism in response to the legitimation crisis of the ruling political class, the Spanish party Podemos (“we can”) commits to a gender-informed interpretation of democratic renewal based on the “feminization” and “depatriarchalization” of politics. In addition to promoting women’s role in politics and policy-making oriented towards gender equality, Podemos leaders define this political regeneration as the implementation of alternative practices to “masculinized” and “patriarchal” politics, including collaborative and decentralized leaderships, consensus decision-making, horizontal and bottom-up participatory structures, and dialogue with a plurality of actors. The party commits to materialize this feminist ideal in its own organization while representing the ‘common people’ in Spanish political institutions. I use discourse analysis of mainstream and social media, participant observation and semi-structured interviews with party grassroots members to examine the interplay of the populist and feminist discourses that coexist in Podemos, and their impact on its internal organization. The party expanded the symbolic imaginary of Spanish politics with alternative gender performances in the parliament and a feminist conceptualization of political transformation. However, my analysis of the party’s political practices reveals a dominant masculine political culture that pervades the organization. A hierarchical relation characterized by gender, age, and cultural gaps between leaders and grassroots members prevails over horizontal structures. Further, adversarial and factional dynamics predominate, determined by charismatic and masculine styles of leadership, while electoral efficiency and institutional politics are privileged to the detriment of grassroots participation. My research illuminates specific problems that a populist ideological framework poses to gender equality, which produce inconsistencies between Podemos’ feminist discourses and its daily culture. These include tacit bias in the abstract and homogenizing conceptualization of “the people,” centrality of an exclusionary notion of “homeland,” the fundamental role of charismatic leadership and a dominant masculine imagery, and antagonistic rhetoric and confrontational interaction styles. These practices reflect the gendered implications of a populist ideological framework for the operations and organizing dynamics of political parties, including the reproduction of a political culture that excludes women and marginalized groups through formal and informal mechanisms based on paradigms of efficiency and electoral competition.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical reference