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Graduate Students' Photography Inspires Dialogue about Northern Food Systems

Trent research group brings Arctic research closer to the greater Peterborough community

Graduate students from the Health, Environment, and Indigenous Communities Research Group at their photography exhibition, Food For Thought
Graduate students from the Health, Environment, and Indigenous Communities Research Group at their photography exhibition, Food For Thought

The Trent University-based Health, Environment and Indigenous Communities Research Group is showcasing “Food for Thought”, a photography exhibit that tells a story of Inuit relationships to traditional foods that have sustained them for generations. On display in The First Peoples House of Learning at Gzowski College until mid-June, the display is sparking conversations about Northern food systems.

Exhibited photos were taken by research group members - master’s and doctoral students, post-doctoral fellows and research assistants – during their fieldwork across Canada’s North. The exhibit draws attention to the complex food systems that exist in Canada’s North by highlighting the opportunities and challenges faced by northern communities as they work to maintain access to sufficient, nutritious, and culturally meaningful food. These photos demonstrate that hunting seal, whale and caribou, as well as trapping, fishing and gathering berries are not simply means for providing food and for supporting local economies; they are essential elements that form and sustain cultural and social identities of northern communities.

This photo display was an example of how the group is reaching out beyond itself to the broader community. It is an educational outreach initiative that provides a space where the research happening at Trent University more accessible to the greater Peterborough community.

Zankhna Mody, a Trent undergraduate student who came to the opening reception, was fascinated by the photographs and to learn about graduate research conducted at Trent that is oftentimes distant to the undergraduate student population. “As a student I’ve studied food issues from ecological, political and community-based perspectives, but like most Canadians, I have never travelled up to Northern Canada”, Ms. Mody said. To her, the photos showed the diverse nature of Canadian food systems while highlighting the importance of local foods systems for societal, cultural and environmental health.

The photo display was also showcased at Sticking’s Bakery & Bistro in downtown Peterborough throughout the month of April as part of the city wide SPARK Photo Festival, a celebration of photography with exhibitions in more than 40 locations around the city.

For more information about the research group, visit the following site: http://cfurgalresearch.wordpress.com/

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