H. Melisa Acar
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8036-8870
Research title: Priority View in Human Rights
Research Summary
- I am interested in various political and legal philosophy topics, including freedom, liberalism, global justice, epistemic injustice, and the philosophy of human rights.
- Within the framework of my PhD project, I am working on developing a new theory of human rights with core and non-core rights. Additionally, I continue to research on the nature and the ethics of power, resistance and success.
- Note: I have been appointed as visiting fellow in Harvard University - Philosophy Department for 2025 Fall.
Supervisors
Grants
- Conference Support Award (PhD Presenter) - Society for Applied Philosophy (SAP), Poland, Gdansk (2025)
- PhD Research Award - Princeton University - Princeton, United States (2024)
- PhD Research Support Fund - Graduate School - University of Glasgow, Glasgow - United Kingdom (2024)
- International Scholarship - University of Glasgow, Glasgow - United Kingdom (2022)
- Academic Excellence Scholarship - Ibn Haldun University, Istanbul - Turkey (2020)
- Deanship Travel Grant - Katip Celebi University, Izmir - Turkey (2018)
Conferences
- Between Utopia and Political Utility: Reclaiming the Meaning of Human Rights (Britain & Ireland Association for Political Thought), University of Edinburgh (2026)
- What is Success? (Harvard Graduate Talk Shop), Harvard University Philosophy Department, Massachusetts, USA (2025)
- Why Do We Need a New Branch of Philosophy: Philosophy of Success (Society for Applied Philosophy Conference), Poland, Gdansk (2025)
- One Truth is Not Enough: On The Limitations of Monist Human Rights Theories (University of Oxford - Philosophy Department - DPHIL Seminar) (2025)
- The Function of Political Propoganda (University of Oxford - All Souls College - Volutary Presentation in Authoritarianism Course) (2025)
Teaching
- Tutor
- How Should I Live? University of Glasgow, Philosophy Department (2026)
- Independent Instructor
- Philosophy of Success - independently designed and delivered course, (since 2023)
- Professional English Reading - reading-based course for academic/professional development (since 2021)
