Making Research Tangible: A Zine Project

A People’s History of Food Systems at Trent University

This project began with a frustration: that some of the most important conversations about food, labour, and education are often the hardest to access.

This zine is an attempt to do that work differently.

This zine explores the hidden histories and ongoing politics of food on campus. Through archival discoveries, stories, and critical reflections, it examines how universities participate in, and sometimes obscure, food system inequalities.

Why a Zine?

Zines have long been used as tools for grassroots education, political expression, and community knowledge-sharing. They offer a way to communicate ideas outside of formal academic structures, making space for voice, critique, and creativity.

For me, working in this format is not separate from my research; it is part of it. This zine allowed me to explore how knowledge can be shared differently, and who gets to participate in that process

Author’s Note

While this zine offers a critical perspective on Trent University, the issues explored are not unique to a single institution. They reflect broader patterns across higher education and public institutions.

This work comes from a place of care as much as critique. I would not be pursuing my third degree at Trent if I did not believe in the importance of these spaces—and their potential to do better.

This project is one part of an ongoing effort to think differently about how research is created, shared, and experienced.