Ashley Fellowship
The Ashley Fellowship is administered by the Colleges at Trent University and is awarded to a visiting scholar each year. The Ashley Fellowship Committee is now requesting nominations for the 2025-2026 Ashley Fellow. Nominations may come from fellows of any of the Colleges or from any college affiliated departments. This is a wonderful opportunity for the University community to benefit from the presence of a distinguished intellectual who enhances our academic programs and collegiate life.
The fellowship is funded by a bequest from the late Professor C.A. Ashley, long-time friend of Trent University and an enthusiastic proponent of the importance of collegiate life in the academic pursuits of the University. The Ashley Fellow is therefore a visiting scholar who is a resident guest in one of Trent's residential Colleges. By the terms approved by Senate in 1976, and in keeping with Professor Ashley's wishes, "scholar" should be broadly interpreted to include persons not necessarily holding an academic appointment.
Subhankar Banerjee: Trent University's 45th Ashley Fellow
Subhankar Banerjee is a photographer, writer, curator, and conservationist. He is a professor of Art & Ecology and founding director of the Center for Environmental Arts & Humanities at the University of New Mexico.
Since 2002, he has been working closely with Indigenous Gwich’in and Iñupiat elders, and scientists and conservationists in Alaska. His first book and the companion exhibition Seasons of Life and Land: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge contributed significantly to the campaign to protect the internationally significant wildlife nursery and a place important to Indigenous peoples from oil and gas development.
Subhankar most recently served as the director and cocurator (with Dr. Jennifer Garcia Peacock) of “a Library, a Classroom, and the World,” an award-winning project for the 2022 Venice Biennale art exhibition Personal Structures organized by the European Cultural Centre in Venice, Italy. His photographs have been exhibited widely, including the 18th Biennale of Sydney, Hood Museum of Art at Dartmouth College, Princeton University Art Museum, Nottingham Contemporary, and the Amon Carter Museum of American Art.
Subhankar is currently working on four books on biodiversity: Shorebirds in Modern Times; Coexistence: Biodiversity in New Mexico (editor); a book on Sundarban, the largest mangrove forest on earth, and a book on the global history of biodiversity and justice (cowriting with Finis Dunaway).
Renowned for its commitment to both the arts and social justice across its academic departments and collegiate environment, the LEC community eagerly anticipates welcoming Subhankar, who will reside within the college throughout his stay. Trent students and fellows will have the chance to engage with Subhankar and his work through workshops, guest lectures, and appearances at LEC Events. His visit will conclude with an Ashley Fellow College Dinner and a Public Talk, open to students, staff, alumni, and community members.
"We are honoured to welcome Subhankar to LEC as this year's Ashley Fellow" says Dr. Christine Freeman-Roth, Principal, Lady Eaton College. "Subhankar perfectly represents both the ideals of the Ashley Fellowship, and those of Lady Eaton through his lived experiences and unique perspective through a lens of both art and ecology."
As Ashley Fellow, Mr. Banerjee will visit Trent’s Peterborough campus from September 26th - October 10th, 2024. Stay tuned for registration information for the College Dinner and Public Talk.
Beyond Extinction: Ashley Fellow Public Lecture
The Ashley Fellowship, featuring Subhankar Banerjee presents "Beyond Extinction: Art & Visual Culture for Biodiversity & Justice"
Subhankar will share his recent and ongoing work from three places: the Arctic in the Canada-US borderland (where he first became an environmental artist and advocate); the Chihuahuan desert in the Mexico-US borderland (where he now lives); and the Sundarban mangrove of the Bangladesh-India borderland (near where he was born). In each instance, he will offer a long view—spanning decades, centuries, even millennia—to show how art and visual culture can reframe our understanding of the intensifying biodiversity crisis. He will also explain how images can help shape a more inclusive and just framework for biodiversity conservation that honors the rights and needs of Indigenous and other rural peoples.
Fall College Dinner
Join Lady Eaton College, LEC Cabinet, and our special guest, Subhankar Banerjee (the 45th Ashley Fellow) for a family-style Fall College Dinner. This event is free for students from all colleges
Tuesday, October 8th @ 6pm
Lady Eaton College Dining Hall
Nominate the next Ashley Fellow
The Ashley Fellow Committee invites nominations for the 2025-2026 Ashley Fellowship
Historical List of Ashley Fellows
Jacob Thomas
Mohawk Elder
1976 - 1977
Hosted by Otonabee
Julia Phelps
Art Historian
1977 - 1978
Hosted by Traill
Donald LeRoy
Chemist
1978 - 1979
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Elizabeth Sewell
Poet
1979 - 1980
Hosted by Peter Robinson
Rene deVilliers
Journalist
1980 - 1981
Hosted by Lady Eaton
W.A.C.H. Dobon
Sinologist
1980 - 1981
Hosted by Otonabee
Norma Miller
Classicist
1985 - 1986
Hosted by Traill
Percy Smith
Literary Critic
1986 - 1987
Hosted by Otonabee
Yasuyuji Yagi
Geographer
1987 - 1988
Hosted by Champlain
Mihaly Vajda
Philosopher
1987 - 1988
Hosted by Peter Robinson
William Taylor
Archaeologist
1988 - 1989
Hosted by Champlain
Wilfred Cantwell Smith
Historian of Religion
1989 - 1990
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Bernard Blishen
Social Scientist
1990 - 1991
Hosted by Traill
D.J. Wallace Geldart
Physicist
1991 - 1992
Hosted by Lady Eaton
David B. Brooks
Economist
1992 - 1993
Hosted by Otonabee
Robert Bringhurst
Oral Narrative/Haida Culture
1993 - 1994
Hosted by Peter Robinson
Jill Ker Conway
Women's History & Higher Education
1994 - 1995
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Myrna Kostash
Author/Multiculturalism & Ethnicity
1995 - 1996
Hosted by Champlain
Rosanne Armitage
Associate Professor of Psychiatry
1996 - 1997
Hosted by Otonabee
D. John Mulvaney
Emeritus Professor of Prehistory
1997 - 1998
Hosted by Peter Robinson
Mel Watkins
Emeritus Professor of Economics & Political Science
1998 - 1999
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Amiya Kumar Bagchi
Economics
1999 - 2000
Hosted by Traill
Frank Augustyn
Dancer
2000 - 2001
Hosted by Peter Robinson & Traill
Richard Bocking
Documentary Filmmaker
2001 - 2002
Hosted by Champlain
Alistair MacLeod
Author
2002 - 2003
Hosted by Traill
Dr. Carlos Escudé
Political Theorist
2003 - 2004
Hosted by Otonabee
Tama Huata
Artistic Director
2004 - 2005
Hosted by Gzowski
Dr. Timothy McGee
Musicologist
2005 - 2006
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Dr. Randy Stoecker
Community Based Researcher
2005 - 2006
Hosted by Traill
Dr. David Montgomery
Historian
2006 - 2007
Hosted by Champlain
Dr. Peter Stephenson
Medical Anthropologist
2006 - 2007
Hosted by Otonabee
Cynthia Goode
Publishing
2007 - 2008
Hosted by Traill
Dr. Laura Peers
Curator of First Nations/Native American cultural history
2008 - 2009
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Dr. Don Markwell
Warden of Rhodes House, Oxford
2009 - 2010
Hosted by Champlain
Dr. Sherrill Grace
Canadian Literature & Canadian Studies
2010 - 2011
Hosted by Traill
Dr. Lucie Edwards
Foreign Affairs & International Development
2011 - 2012
Hosted by Champlain
Dr. Peter Bernath
Molecular Spectroscopy & Atmospheric Chemistry
2012 - 2013
Hosted by Otonabee
Dr. Veronica Strong-Boag
Women's & Gender Studies & Educational Studies
2013 - 2014
Hosted by Traill
Roy MacGregor
Journalist & author
2014 - 2015
Hosted by Gzowski
Stephanie Raynor
Artist
2015 - 2016
Hosted by all five Colleges
Dr. Stevi Jackson
Feminist Professor
2016 - 2017
Hosted by Lady Eaton
Lara Kramer
Artistic Director & multimedia artist
2017 - 2018
Hosted by Champlain & Gzowski
Shelley Tanaka
Young adult editor & writer
2019 - 2020
Hosted by Traill & Trent Durham GTA
Hamza Khan
Keynote speaker & author
2021 - 2022
Hosted by Gzowski & Otonabee
Chúk Odenigbo
Equity Leader
2022 - 2023
Hosted by Gzowski & Lady Eaton
Bridget Larocque
Métis Change Advocate
2023 - 2024
Hosted by Traill College
Subhankar Banerjee
Photographer, Writer, Curator, and Conservationist
2024 - 2025
Hosted by Lady Eaton College