Definition:
Divide and rule is a strategy in which power is maintained by fragmenting groups into competing or opposing factions, preventing collective solidarity or coordinated resistance.
Usage Context:
Seen in governance, labour relations, colonial administration, workplace management, political strategy, and media framing.
Critical Note:
Divide and rule operates by redirecting frustration laterally rather than upward. By encouraging competition, suspicion, or blame between groups with shared interests, structural power remains unchallenged while conflict appears organic or inevitable.
Related Terms:
Scapegoating, Class Erasure, Crabs in a Bucket, Identity Fragmentation, Power Consolidation