Dr. Melanie Altanian

Melanie Altanian is assistant professor for epistemology and theory of science. Her research and teaching interests intersect several areas of so-called practical philosophy, such as normative ethics, moral philosophy, social philosophy, philosophy of law and philosophy of culture, political philosophy and political epistemology in particular.

• 2021–2023: Research Assistant (Horizon 2020 Project “Policy, Expertise, and Trust in Action”, PI: Maria Baghramian), School of Philosophy, University College Dublin
• 2021–2022: Guest Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, Universität Luzern
• 2020–2021: Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Philosophy, University College Dublin
• 2020: Doctor of Philosophy, Universität Bern
• 10/2018–03/2019: Visiting Researcher, Chair of Practical Philosophy and Ethics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
• 04–07/2017: Visiting Researcher, Chair of Political Philosophy and Philosophy of Law, Ruhr-Universität Bochum
• 2015: Master of Arts in Political, Legal and Economic Philosophy, Universität Bern
• 2012: Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (Major) and Social Sciences (Minor), Universität Bern

Forthcoming

• Do we need a ‘European Political Epistemology’? (with Frieder Vogelmann)
  Contribution to edited volume The European Face of Political Epistemology (Palgrave Macmillan; edited by Hana Samaržija and Robin McKenna)

Under Revision

• Pressures of Science Denialism: Bad Gatekeeping Practices and Politics of Credibility
  Article contribution to “Gatekeeping in Science”, a special issue for Synthese (edited by Katherine Dormandy and Eric Winsberg)

In Preparation

• “A critical (re-)assessment of instituitonal epistemic humility: lessons from a pandemic crisis”, article co-authored with Silvia Ivani
• “Epistemic Recognition as Reparation?”, article co-authored with Danielle Petherbridge
• “Leugnung”, Beitrag zum Schwerpunkt “Unwahrheit in der Politik”, WestEnd: Neue Zeitschrift für Sozialforschung
• “Feminist Epistemology of Memory”, chapter contribution to Memory, Society, and Justice: Philosophical Perspectives (edited by Kathy Puddifoot and Marta Caravà)

Books & Edited Volumes

• The Epistemic Injustice of Genocide Denialism. London and New York: Routledge, 2024. Open Access.
• Testimonial Injustice and Trust. Edited by Melanie Altanian and Maria Baghramian. London and New York: Routledge, 2024.

Articles & Book Chapters

• Welche Einsichten kann uns The Racial Contract in Bezug auf den armenischen Völkermord und seine anhaltende Leugnung liefern? (Mitautorin: Imge Oranlı). In: Hilkje C. Hänel (Hrsg.), Charles Mills’ Politische Philosophie: Ein Nachruf, 103–129. Bielefeld: Transcript, 2025.
• Précis und Replik zu den Kommentaren (Buchdiskussion zu The Epistemic Injustice of Genocide Denialism). Zeitschrift für Philosophische Forschung 79 (2, 2025): 251–254, 270–273.
• Rethinking the Right to Know and the Case for Restorative Epistemic Reparation. Journal of Social Philosophy 55 (4, 2024): 728–745. Open Access.
• Genozidleugnung: Organisiertes Vergessen oder Substanzielle Erkenntnispraxis? Zeitschrift für Praktische Philosophie 9 (1, 2022): 251–278. Open Access.
• Remembrance and Denial of Genocide: On the Interrelations of Testimonial and Hermeneutical Injustice. International Journal of Philosophical Studies 29 (4, 2021): 595–612.
• Genocide Denial as Testimonial Oppression. Social Epistemology 35 (2, 2021): 133–146.
• Genocide Denialism as an Intergenerational Injustice. In: Thomas Cottier, Shaheeza Lalani & Clarence Siziba (eds.), Intergenerational Equity: Environmental and Cultural Concerns, 67–89. Boston: Brill Nijhoff, 2019.  

Summer Term 2026
Seminar: Understanding Moral Panics: Cancel Culture, Pornography, and Video Games

Winter Term 2025/26
Lecture: Introduction to Epistemology

Summer Term 2025
Seminar: Theory of Culture

Winter Term 2024/25
Seminar: Arrogant, Closed-Minded, Dogmatic: Introducing Vice Epistemology

Summer Term 2024
Seminar: Theory of Culture
Seminar: Wissen, Sexualität und Identitäten. Linda Martín Alcoffs radikal gegenwärtige Philosophie (mit Frieder Vogelmann)

Winter Term 2023/24
Seminar: The Right (Not) To Know

Spring Trimester 2023 (at University College Dublin, Ireland)
Lecture: Applied Epistemology

Spring Term 2022 (at University of Lucerne, Switzerland)
Hauptseminar: Leugnung und Unwissen

Fall Term 2021 (at University of Lucerne, Switzerland)
Proseminar: Epistemische Ungerechtigkeiten

• Blog Post “Misremembering Wrongdoing: The Case of Genocide Denialism” (The Memory Palace Blog, October 1, 2024)
• Two-Part Blog Post “Genocide Denialism, Prolonged Trauma, and Retraumatization” (Epistemic Injustice in Healthcare Project Blog, June 12 + June 19, 2024)
• Blog Post “A Case against the Argument from ‘Collective Amnesia’ and ‘Forgetting’” (Open for Debate Blog by Cardiff University, May 15, 2023)
• Interview “Genozid an den Armeniern: Verstehen und Anerkennen” (with Jeanette Ehrmann and Veronika Zablotsky, Frankfurter Rundschau, March 8, 2022)
• Article “Genozid Benennen” (Neue Wege Magazine, December 2020)