Experience patriarchy on your own skin. Experience what it feels like to step out of it. Experience whether it is possible to step out of it at all.

This role-playing game, developed by Oxford behavioural scientist Tamás Dávid-Barrett, offers an experiential insight into the fundamentally different social strategies of our two closest relatives — and their personal and societal consequences. Chimpanzees live in patriarchal systems, while bonobos organize themselves in matriarchies. What kinds of dynamics do these systems produce? Where does the human species fall on this spectrum? And where do you?

The game functions as a simple model, using accessible tools to reveal the underlying logic of these systems — their brutality and their harmony — within a safe framework. Participation is voluntary: attendees may choose to take part actively, contribute to the discussion, or observe. The process is guided and contextualized by Tamás Dávid-Barrett from a behavioural science perspective.

Let’s give real meaning to Hungarian Men’s Day. Let’s engage with what truly matters. You are welcome, whether you know too much or too little about the often-invoked concept of patriarchy. This is the first opportunity to take part in such an experience in Hungary. No prior knowledge is required.

Led by: Tamás Dávid-Barrett and the creators of The Mourning of Patriarchy

The event will be recorded.

The program is part of the creative process of the upcoming theatre production The Mourning of Patriarchy – Gender Equality from a Male Perspective.

“A group of men gathers to mourn the existence of thousands of years of male dominance. But before saying a final goodbye, they collectively recall its finest moments.”

“This project critically engages with male privilege from a male perspective, using an interdisciplinary artistic barrage to push men toward equality with women.”

Premiere: 22 October 2026 – Trafó
Preview: 4 August 2026 – Ördögkatlan Festival

Creators of the performance: Petra Al-Farman, Máté Kőrösi, Ernő Zoltán Rubik, Péter Valcz

Tamás Dávid-Barrett is a behavioural scientist and a lecturer at Trinity College, University of Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Anthropological Institute and a visiting researcher at the Helsinki Population Research Institute. He was previously a professor at the Universidad del Desarrollo (Chile) and a visiting scholar at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy in Germany. Earlier in his career, he founded and led an international macroeconomic research firm that conducted analyses in 35 countries.

His research explores the traits that enable humans to live in large, culturally complex societies. He focuses on how shrinking family sizes, urbanisation, and migration shape social networks, as well as on the evolutionary foundations of gender norms and sharing behaviour.

In 2025, his book Gendered Species was published in Hungarian. The work combines insights from anthropology, network science, biology, and economics to examine how social and evolutionary dynamics shape gender norms. The Hungarian edition was developed with active involvement from the creators of the performance The Mourning of Patriarchy.