Breaking the Chains of Kyriarchy and Reclaiming Justice for All
Dr. Udim Isang, DPT, EdD, Mbia Idiong, is an award-winning educator, physical therapist, and activist specializing in indigenous healing practices, implicit bias in healthcare, and integrative wellness through movement and mindfulness.
Kyriarchy (pronounced /ˈkaɪriɑːrki/) is a social system of interconnected, overlapping, and reinforcing hierarchies of domination, oppression, and submission. Coined by Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenza in 1992, it extends the concept of patriarchy beyond gender to encompass a wide array of systemic inequalities and power dynamics.
In a kyriarchal system, individuals and groups experience oppression and privilege simultaneously, depending on the context of their social identities. This includes intersecting forms of discrimination such as:
Sexism
Racism
Ableism
Ageism (including adultism)
Homophobia and transphobia
Fatphobia
Classism
Colonialism and militarism
Religious discrimination (e.g., antisemitism, Islamophobia)
Economic injustice
Xenophobia
The prison-industrial complex
Ethnocentrism and speciesism
Linguicism (language-based discrimination)
It also includes emerging analyses of societal norms, such as mononormativity (privileging monogamy), allonormativity (privileging allosexuality over asexuality), and chrononormativity (enforcing rigid timelines for life milestones).
Kyriarchy highlights how oppression is not a single, linear phenomenon but a dynamic and multidimensional web of power relations. By understanding kyriarchy, we can better address the root causes of injustice and create more inclusive and equitable systems.
A Psalm against Kyriarchy
Oh, Sovereign Spirit of justice and liberation,
Hear the cry of the oppressed, the weary, the silenced.
The weight of kyriarchy presses heavy,
A web of domination spun from the threads of power and fear.
It is a beast with many heads,
A hydra that devours the dignity of the many,
While crowning the few with false glory.
You who crafted the heavens with equity
And breathed life into all with impartial love,
See how we have warped Your creation.
We have made hierarchies where You intended harmony,
Built thrones of cruelty on the backs of the humble,
And turned diversity into a weapon of division.
The kyriarch weaves lies into the hearts of humanity:
“You are better than they,” it whispers,
While hissing in another ear, “You are less than them.”
It multiplies injustice and calls it order,
It hoards wealth and calls it blessing,
It silences dissent and calls it peace.
But You, O Spirit of truth, see through the deception.
You call us to break the chains of oppression,
To uproot the systems that sow inequality,
To tear down the altars of privilege
And rebuild them as tables of welcome and shared abundance.
Teach us, O Creator, to see each other rightly:
To honor the beauty of every person,
The sacredness of every culture,
The wisdom of every age,
The worth of every body.
Guide us to unmake the towers of kyriarchy.
Let its walls crumble under the weight of compassion.
Let its weapons shatter in the face of love.
Let the prison doors swing open wide,
And let those who walk free dismantle the cages.
O Spirit of the oppressed,
Strengthen the weary and embolden the silenced.
Grant us courage to name the evils we see,
To confess the privileges we hold,
And to labor for the world You have envisioned—
A world where no one is above another,
Where power serves love, not domination,
And where all people flourish together in peace.
Let the kyriarchy’s reign falter and fall,
For Your kingdom is one of justice and mercy.
And in its place, may we build a new world—
A world of equity, belonging, and enduring freedom.
Uto (poem)
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Dr. Udim Isang, The (Em)Body Doctor & Nigerian Healer
Dr. Udim Isang, DPT, EdD, Mbia Idiong, is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Executive Leadership Educator passionate about indigenous healing, mindfulness, and movement therapy. As a queer, trans, immigrant, and neuro-distinct individual, they/they/it/we advocate for bridging healthcare equity and inclusive wellness practices. Learn more about their transformative work integrating mind, body, and spirit at the intersections of identity and healing.
