Melanie Altanian

Melanie Altanian is an Assistant Professor in Epistemology and Theory of Science at the University of Freiburg (University College Freiburg). Her research focuses on social/political epistemology, moral philosophy, and genocide studies with emphasis on epistemic injustice in contexts of historical denialism. She holds a PhD from Universität Bern (2020) and has held academic positions at University College Dublin (2020–2023), Universität Luzern (2021–2022), and visiting roles at LMU Munich and Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

Her work critically examines genocide denialism’s epistemic harms, particularly Turkey’s Armenian genocide denial, arguing it constitutes systemic epistemic oppression. Key contributions include The Epistemic Injustice of Genocide Denialism (2024, Routledge, Open Access), which reframes denialism through epistemic justice frameworks. She co-edited Testimonial Injustice and Trust (2024) and organized workshops on topics like institutional virtues in political decision-making and the ethics of ignorance.

Teaching includes seminars on culture theory, vice epistemology, and applied epistemology. Her research spans genocide remembrance, epistemic reparation, and the intersection of testimony with historical trauma. She frequently engages in public discourse via blogs and media interviews addressing Armenian genocide recognition and epistemic justice.