Divide and Rule
Unlearning the Colonial Divide: The legacy of communal divisions as a tool of control
This week on Art of Citizenry, I decided to do something a little different. It’s just me — no guest, no interviews. Just a deep, reflective conversation I’ve been meaning to have for some time now. A conversation about the lingering shadow of a strategy we often relegate to history: divide and rule.
Divide and rule or divide and conquer is more than just a relic of the colonial playbook. It was one of empire’s most powerful tools and remains deeply embedded in today’s global systems, from political polarization to economic structures. A tactic so effective that it systematically tore apart communities by surgically engineering hierarchies that pit communities against one another in service of control.
And here’s the thing: it never really went away.
“Today, we still live with the hierarchies, the borders – literal and social – that were engineered to break solidarity.” — Manpreet Kaur Kalra, Art of Citizenry
In this episode, I explore how colonial regimes fractured societies along religious, ethnic, and social lines to undermine solidarity and resistance. These weren’t just administrative choices. They were calculated fractures designed to suppress resistance and reinforce imperial dominance.
🔍 In this episode, I dive into:
Historical examples of divide and rule, including:
The 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan
The creation of Bantustans under apartheid South Africa
Colonialisms use of tribal divisions in Rwanda to weaken collective governance and how that underpinned the Rwandan Genocide
The evolution of these tactics into modern-day “soft power” mechanisms used by:
Global institutions like the UN, IMF, and WTO
Multinational corporations that exploit weak regulatory environments and divided societies for profit
What struck me most while putting this episode together was how familiar this all feels. The legacy of these interventions lives on—in borders, in conflict, and in the structural inequalities that underpin the Global North-Global South divide.
Today, the tactics haven’t disappeared, they’ve evolved. We see them in the soft power strategies of global institutions like the UN, IMF, and WTO. We see them in the way multinational corporations capitalize on fragmented societies and regulatory loopholes.
Episode 28 draws a direct line from historical divide-and-rule policies to the scapegoating and “othering” seen in today’s politics—from anti-immigrant legislation to the assault on trans rights. These are not disconnected moments. They are modern iterations of a deeply entrenched system that thrives on division.
“This isn’t a glitch in the system, it is the system. Divide-and-conquer was never just a tactic of the past; it was a blueprint – adapted to modern globalization.”
— Manpreet Kaur Kalra, Art of Citizenry
💭 Reflection Prompt
How do the tactics of divide-and-rule show up in your daily life, your community, or your field of work—and what does it look like to build across those divides?
Unlearning the Colonial Divide
Naming these patterns, understanding the colonial playbook, and recognizing its mutations is the first step toward unlearning. Because while these systems are deeply entrenched, they are also human-made. Recognizing this is important because it reminds us that today’s inequalities and conflicts are not inevitable; and can therefore be equally challenged and reformed.
Whether you’re a student of history, a social justice advocate, or simply curious about the ways power operates in our world, this episode offers a thoughtful, grounded look at how the past continues to shape our present—and how we might start to imagine something different.
📚 Resources & References
Neither Settler Nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minorities by Mahmood Mamdani
The Divide: Global Inequality from Conquest to Free Markets by Jason Hickel
Border and Rule: Global Migration, Capitalism, and the Rise of Racist Nationalism by Harsha Walia
Heritage of Strife: The Effects of Colonialist "Divide and Rule" Strategy upon the Colonized Peoples by Richard Morrock
Beyond Divide and Rule: Explaining the Link between British Colonialism and Ethnic Violence by Subhasish Ray
30 Years Since the Rwandan Genocide by Sanaa Hardadou
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