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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 5 

Book Review: Divide & Conquer: Race, Gangs, Identity, and 

Conflict (Studies in Transgression) by Robert D. Weide 

Taryn Bates and Lami J. Glenn 

Department of Sociology 

California State University, Los Angeles 

 

 When you hear the term “gangs” what is it that comes to 

mind? Los Angeles is notoriously known for its subculture of 

gangs and subsequent gang violence, from the likes of Crips co-

founder Stanley “Tookie” Williams as well as Sylvester Scott, 

who is credited with the advent of the original Blood gangs. 

Popular media is obsessed with stories of these gangs and its 

members– whether in sensationalized reports on Fox 11 News or 

fictionalized stories playing out in TV shows or box office movies, 

like Boyz in the Hood or Colors. Such portrayals become in fact 

dehumanizing by reinforcing a narrative of depravity instead of 

recognizing the reality that gang members are among “the most 

marginalized, demonized, and criminalized population in America 

and throughout much of the capitalist world” (Weide 2022:7-8). 

This insider participant observation ethnographic case study 

serves as an in-depth look into the humanity and nuance of the 

lived experience for Sureño-affiliated, Crip and Blood gang 

members in Los Angeles. 

Robert D. Weide, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of 

Sociology at California State University, Los Angeles. Weide 

teaches various courses on the history of anarchy, criminology, 

and critical theory on the intersectionality of class, race, and 

gender. He is also an expert witness on cases involving gangs in 

which he is summoned across the country to present his 

knowledge in numerous, and often high profile, cases. As uplifted 

from his biography in the introduction of the book, Weide’s 

heritage includes that of his father being an ethnic Kurd born in 

Iran, as well as being of half-Prussian and half-Russian descent on 

his mother’s side. His birth name is actually an Iranian surname 

with Kurdish tribal affiliation, but during his youth, Robert’s 

parents chose to legally change his last name to Weide – in 

reflection of his maternal grandfather’s Prussian roots – to protect 

him from the intended violence targeted at ethnic Middle Eastern 

and North African people at that time. Coupled with growing up 



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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 5 

in the West Los Angeles area, as a teen he was a member of a 

street gang comprised of childhood friends and fellow ‘taggers.’ 

Weide is passionate about looking past labels of identity based on 

race and the assumptions of how people should conduct 

themselves solely on physical appearance. 

 Though this book is an ethnographic research project 

about gangs, it also serves as a cohesive overview for the 

evolution of the race concept and its modern manifestation 

through identity politics and ethnonationalism ideology. As 

explained by Weide, gangs are both the epitome and antithesis of 

the surplus labor population whose existence fuels the capitalist 

power play of “divide and conquer” to keep the working class 

stuck on in-fighting, to detract them from ‘rising up’ and 

overthrowing the ruling class. Weide notes: 

It is no accident that the prior use of the word 

gang in the English language was in reference to 

a group of workers, whereas by the turn of the 

twentieth century the word has been transformed 

into a negativistic slur used to demonize and 

criminalize workers whose labor is no longer 

useful to capital. Gang members represent not 

just the lower class, but, moreover, the permanent 

underclass of American society – what Karl Marx 

and Friedrich Engels called the 

lumpenproletariat, unable to identify the cause of 

their material deprivation and therefore unable to 

focus their rage against those whose 

unimaginable wealth is possible only at their 

expense. (2022:8) 

Therefore, modern gangs often attract the surplus labor population 

that capitalism forcibly keeps unemployed to depreciate the value 

of the workers. However, this often leads to gang members 

becoming the antithesis of a surplus labor population because they 

have found a way outside of traditional employment constructs to 

make money and might not be willing to fall in line with the 

constricting atmosphere of brick-and-mortar capitalist businesses. 

One way the ruling class still contributes to gangs is through the 

perpetuation of the race concept and its self-fulfilling mechanism 

of creating division between in-group and out-groups by doubling 



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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 5 

down on ethnonationalism affiliation. These identity politics 

create an internal system of unconscious reinforcement through 

gang members fueling the myth of both threat and incompatibility 

divided along racial identities. 

 Divide & Conquer is an engaging read that starts from the 

ground up. The introduction sets the tone for Weide’s personal 

experience with gang-related killings and leads to his desire to 

conduct an ethnographic research study on gangs in Los Angeles. 

The first chapter chronologically explores the historical 

foundations of ethnonationalism and identity politics through 

what Weide deems the three pillars: capitalism, the race concept, 

and nationalist ideology. The second chapter deconstructs identity 

through theoretical foundations, emphasizing anarchist theory to 

critique ethnonationalism and identity politics. After establishing 

this framework, the rest of the book details Sureños, Crip and 

Blood affiliated gangs throughout Los Angeles County.  

The third chapter explores the invisible wall of division 

created between these gangs by their different cultures and 

identities. Chapter four closely examines how gangs can be 

unintentional identity police by reinforcing racial bias and 

boundaries through their rivalries, primarily in jail facilities. This 

idea is explored even deeper in chapter five through the narrative 

the police and the media create about tensions amongst rival gangs 

being so-called race wars, with direct citations for case studies of 

racialized conflicts. Chapter six focuses on transracial gang 

members who cross the boundaries of race identification and 

effectively proves that the concept of race does not necessarily 

hold up in actual practice. Then chapter seven details the resilient 

progress that respected gang leaders acting as peacemakers made 

in 2019 to create a cease-fire between warring gangs while also 

detailing the resistance working to keep up the elite power to 

divide and conquer the marginalized people groups. Finally, the 

conclusion wonders if the future will be one of reform or 

revolution. 

 This book is solid from cover to cover. I (Taryn) was first 

introduced to this book by taking Weide’s class in the Fall of 2022 

at Cal State LA: SOC 3480 Sociology of Class, Race/Ethnicity, 

and Gender. His chapter laying out the interweaving history of 

capitalism, racism, and nationalism is an amazing and accessible 



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CALIFORNIA SOCIOLOGY FORUM VOL. 5 

collection all in one place. Building on that strong foundation, 

Weide uses his expertise to create rapport by tapping into different 

sides of his personal history and current interests when 

interviewing Sureño-affiliated, Crip and Blood-affiliated gang 

members as well as a handful of law enforcement officers 

specifically overseeing gang enforcement. Overall, Weide 

personally conducted formal interviews with sixty-seven Sureño-

affiliated gang members, thirty Crip and Blood gang members, 

and seven gang enforcement officers. It is impressive to see 

someone having such success spanning these three groups that are 

usually violently pitted against each other.  

 Divide & Conquer is a revolutionary piece of research 

literature that should hopefully serve to open the mind of anyone 

willing to read it. This book is highly recommended for anyone 

curious about Los Angeles gang culture, even if they have not 

been to Los Angeles, to understand some of the dynamics of the 

subculture that exists. Weide’s approach proves that holding space 

with empathy allows even the most stigmatized and marginalized 

to express themselves in ways that showcase their humanity. 

Cultural understanding is the key to overcoming the systems in 

place that divide and conquer through defaulting to an 

“otherizing” mentality of those perceived as different. Everyone 

has a reason for what they do; instead of immediately writing 

people off by their appearance, seek to hear one another out. If 

everybody did that, there might just be unification in making sure 

everyone is being supported and cared for day to day. 

 

REFERENCES 

Weide, Robert D. 2022. Divide & Conquer: Race, Gangs, Identity, 

and Conflict (Studies in Transgression). Philadelphia, PA: 

Temple University Press. 


