Natalie Ashton

Dr. Natalie Ashton is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow in Philosophy at the University of Stirling, affiliated with the AHRC-funded project 'Norms for the New Public Sphere.' Previously, she worked on the ERC-funded 'The Emergence of Relativism' at the University of Vienna and earned her PhD in Philosophy from the University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on the political and social dimensions of epistemology, particularly how oppression and power structures influence epistemic justification. Key areas include feminist standpoint theory, hinge epistemology, and epistemic relativism.

Education: PhD in Philosophy (University of Edinburgh, 2015); Postdoctoral positions at the University of Vienna and University of Stirling.

Research Interests: Feminist epistemology, social epistemology, epistemic injustice, epistemic relativism, and the intersection of epistemology with gender/race/sexuality studies. Her work explores practical implications of theoretical views, such as organizing knowledge-producing institutions to address systemic biases.

Publications: Over 20 peer-reviewed articles and edited volumes, including works on receptive publics, post-truth narratives, and feminist critiques of identitarian ideologies. Notable contributions include Social Epistemology and Relativism (co-edited) and articles in Philosophy and Public Affairs, Ergo, and Social Theory and Practice.

Labs/Teams: Involved in interdisciplinary projects addressing public sphere reform and epistemic justice. Current focus on colonial contexts and institutional epistemic structures.