Abstract

«Populism» is one of the most controversial concepts discussed in sociology and political science, used to denote a wide range of different empirical events. Adopting this conceptual lens in order to analyze a political phenomenon may therefore mean relegating it to a sort of vague and generic «black box». The article is aimed at entering this conceptual black box, focusing on the specific case of an Italian political party usually defined as populist: Northern League ("Lega Nord"). This party is analyzed at the micro and situated level of two local branches, in which I conducted participant observation of different organizational activities, and in-depth-interviews with activists and party leaders. The research study will highlight the diverse intertwined social processes that contribute to the formation of a particular populist narrative representing the ideological and identity core of both branches: the community. This communitarian ideal is the final outcome of different social processes that are specifically related and deeply rooted in the two socio-political contexts. Moreover, the article analyzes the close interconnections and frequent overlapping between processes of communitarian construction and gender orders that form a crosswise exchange between the «ideologization of gender» and «genderization of the community».