As contrasted to ‘patriarchy’:
Kyriarchy – a neologism coined by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza and derived from the Greek words for “lord” or “master” (kyrios) and “to rule or dominate” (archein) which seeks to redefine the analytic category of patriarchy in terms of multiplicative intersecting structures of domination…Kyriarchy is best theorized as a complex pyramidal system of intersecting multiplicative social structures of superordination and subordination, of ruling and oppression.
Patriarchy – Literally means the rule of the father and is generally understood within feminist discourses in a dualistic sense as asserting the domination of all men over all women in equal terms. The theoretical adequacy of patriarchy has been challenged because, for instance, black men do not have control over white wo/men and some women (slave/mistresses) have power over subaltern women and men (slaves).
- Glossary, Wisdom Ways, Orbis Books New York 2001
Put like that, it seems pretty clear which term is the most useful for making sense of reality. Many thanks to Sudy at A Woman’s Ecdysis for introducing her readers to the term!
It’s a very nice term indeed. Yesterday I read the Miranda Fricker piece that was mentioned in another thread last weekish, and in a footnote she argues that patriarchy, as such, is not really what contemporary (I would say: third wave) feminism is about. She claims feminists today are more interested in `symbolic oppression of the feminine’ (close paraphrase), which I think is just as inaccurate. (Unless, I think, we’re talking about French feminism. Which generally I am not.) Kyriarchy, as a concrete system of power relations and material inequalities, does seem to be what third wave feminists are interested in, at various levels of abstraction.
[...] support/dominance or through having worked at personal growth and healing, frequently the Kyriarchy reasserts its ordering and tells the person in question to get back in hir place–and a rather [...]
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I would appreciate it if someone could briefly say the distinction(s) between hierarchy and kyriarchy. The way I use and have seen hierarchy used does not seem to differ, at least obviously, from kyriarchy. Thanks.
As I understand the distinction (and I may be wrong)…. hierarchy is a simpler structure, where group A is above group B who is above group C. In kyriarchy, e.g. some members of C are also members of A which makes the structure far more complex to understand– and which doesn’t fit into the simple hierarchical model. Now, it may well be possible to have more complex understandings of hierarchy that can accommodate this.
This might be saying what Jender said: classification terms that are normally employed don’t fit well into the simple two-place relations that seem to compose a hierarchy. It might be that if you tried to complicate a hierarchy to reflect the fact that that some men are above “middle class white women” and some below (and so on and on), you’d turn a hierarchy into a more pyramid like structure.
I think both patriarchies and kyriarchies are essentially hierarchies, but the term hierarchy in itself doesn’t determine who is at the top, patriarchy and kyriarchy do?
[...] stalls and sputters when there are other oppressive forces at work. Fully Engaged Feminism is about kyriarchy – defining it, exposing it, and looking at its force within activist spaces with the goal of ending [...]
Did anyone else notice that this definition of kyriarchy is ridiculously word-y? Would this actually explain the word to anyone who has never been to college? While I appreciate that this is on a site for feminist philosophers, I tried to use this to explain it to my boyfriend, only to realise that my clumsy roundabout explanation was still better. What good is a definition if it can’t explain the word to anyone not already in the ‘know’? It could be improved in really simple ways. For example: “multiplicative”=”multiple” or even “many.”
Jessica, I never had the kind of education you refer to but dutifully put in the work to make sense of those kind of definitions. But your (indirectly) calling me out on this raises all sorts of red flags.
I think you’re definitely on to something there. “Kyriarchy” as a word may be daunting, and as such weakening the enabling purpose the concept could still have. I’ve been meeting mixed results — read frequent utter failure — in my attempts to explain what I’m talking about with this, so I would appreciate it if you could give me your “clumsy roundabout explanation” that did work. You know, I think I’m running out of patience with my usual “clever direct expounding” that just doesn’t.
Please don’t take this as an ironic put down, I’m not challenging you or anything, I’m genuinely interested in ways to get beyond preaching to the choir — especially since I’m not even part of it.
Jessica and Fred– useful as I think the concept is, I must admit that I have yet to drop the word into conversation. This may be due to a general policy of avoiding jargon when I can avoid it. So I tend to try to explain the idea in small chunks. But if you’ve got a good “roundabout” explanation, that would be lovely to see! And yes, the one above *is* unnecessarily verbose.
[...] feminist about descriptions of MJ’s life? If we think of feminism as concerned with kyriarchy, then the answer comes quite easily. The finally fatal tensions in MJ’s life cannot be [...]
[...] Kyriarchy Kyriarchy – a neologism coined by Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza and derived from the Greek words fo… [...]
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[...] terminology, however, I wonder how much it really helps to enrich understanding. I mean, when I see examples that cite BD/SM relationships as places where “patriarchy” isn’t always applicable, I have to question it, [...]
[...] on equal, human terms. To always work to be aware of and whittle away at untempered consumerism, kyriarchy, rape culture, sexism, racism, etc. In my daily [...]
[...] out. And that’s the keyword here. Her goals. She has found a way to benefit from a system of kyriarchy and has so far shown no indication that she wants to change it. A feminist, fundamentally, wants [...]