Melina Duarte
Job description
Melina Duarte is Associate Professor of Ethics at UiT The Arctic University of Norway and has served as Head of the Department of Philosophy and the Centre for Women's and Gender Research since August 2024.
She has an international academic background and works across moral philosophy, political philosophy, and applied ethics, with a particular interest in questions of justice, rights, freedom, and political responsibility. Her research spans migration ethics, refugee protection and political membership, as well as feminist philosophy, gender, diversity, and equality in academia. A recurring theme in her work is the relationship between normative ideals of justice, freedom, and equality and the social and institutional practices that shape their realization.
Duarte has experience in research project leadership, international and interdisciplinary collaboration, teaching, doctoral supervision, and research dissemination. Research ethics is also an important part of her academic work, particularly through teaching and engagement with ethical questions across research disciplines.
Veronika K. Pettersen,
Melina Duarte
:
The Funding Gap in Norway: A Comparison of European and Norwegian Research Councils’ Policies on Eligibility Extension Due to Maternity Leave
Melina Dos Santos Duarte
:
Social Cohesion and the Struggle for Power in Diverse Societies
Melina Dos Santos Duarte
:
De tre gapene i den tradisjonelle vitenskapsfilosofiens historie: en feministisk kritikk
Melina Duarte
:
A Human Right to Relocate: The case for climate migrants
2020 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
EU-Turkey Deal: Buck Passing and Bargaining on Human Rights at Risk
Kaygi Uludag University Faculty of Arts and Sciences Journal of Philosophy 2019 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
The Ethical Consequences of Criminalising Solidarity in the EU
Melina Duarte
:
Who should be granted electoral rights at the state Level?
Melina Duarte
:
Open Borders and Welfare States: Can't they really get along?
Journal of Identity and Migration Studies 2018 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen,
Serena Parekh,
Annamari Vitikainen
:
Introduction to the thematic issue ‘Refugee Crisis: The Borders of Human Mobility’
Melina Duarte,
Lisa Katrin Losleben,
Kjersti Fjørtoft
:
Gender Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academia
A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Transformation
Melina Duarte,
Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen,
Serena Parekh,
Annamari Vitikainen
:
Refugee Crisis: The Borders of Human Mobility
Routledge 2018 ARKIV
Sara Toffanin,
Melina Duarte
:
Vulnerability for Refugee Protection: Refugees’ Non-Asylum-Grounding Vulnerability and the Duty of States to Restore Refugees’ Social Membership
UiT Norges arktiske universitet 27. October 2026 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Lisa Katrin Losleben,
Kjersti Fjørtoft
:
Introduction to the edited volume
2023 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Integrering av kjønns- og mangfolds perspektiver i filosofi utdanning
2023 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Making Sense of Diversity in Nordic Academia
2023 ARKIV
Hannah Winther,
Hege Kristin Andreassen,
Anja Rieger Schmidt,
Mitieli Seixas da Silva,
Natasja Pugliese,
Melina Duarte
:
Book launching: Gender diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia: A conceptual framework for sustainable transformation
2023 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Diverse Perspectives on Science. Lecture, PhD Course at UiT.
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Westernization vs. Liberation of women in Afghanistan after the comeback of Taliban: Exploring the populist traits of a dichotomy between the West and the Rest
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Diverse Perspectives on Science: Feminist Epistemology and Research Ethics
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
The Prestige-project (2020-2022): Binding findings together
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Affirmative Action and DEI work in Academia: Melina Duarte; Invited commentators: Gabriel Goldmeier and Dominik Jackson-Cole, SFHEA
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Gender- and diversity-sensitive leadership at UiT: Leading for an equitable and inclusive organization for all
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Torjer Andreas Olsen
:
Ledelse for mangfold og integrering ved UiT Norges arktiske universitet
2022 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Adrianna Kochanska,
Malin Rönnblom
:
Gender balance in Research Group Leadership at UiT: The Research group’s Basic Structure and Leadership roles
Septentrio Academic Publishing 2021 ARKIV
Katrin Losleben,
Melina Duarte,
Kjersti Fjørtoft
:
Writers' Workshop, revised versions
2021 ARKIV
Katrin Losleben,
Melina Duarte,
Kjersti Fjørtoft
:
Writers' Workshop
2021 ARKIV
Katrin Losleben,
Melina Duarte,
Kjersti Fjørtoft
:
Workshop Guidebook for Gender Balance in Higher Education
2021 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Can a culture be actively transformed? Lecture in the PhD Research School Evoking Gender at UiT, NO.
2021 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Duarte, Melina. (17.09.2021) Sex, Gender Roles and Refuge: What does the West owe to Afghan Women after the return of the Taliban?. Opening lecture for the MA program Europhilosophy at the University of Jean Jaurès II, Toulouse, FR.
2021 ARKIV
Lena Gross,
Ana Luisa Sanchez Laws,
Hege Kristin Andreassen,
Katrin Losleben,
Lilli Mittner,
Sarah Musubika
et al.:
Co* (Co-construction, co- production, co-design, co-creation)
2021 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Duarte, Melina. (2020). Climate Migration, Structural Injustices, and the Question of Political Responsibility. Aula Inaugural at the State University San Francisco, RS/BR (In Portuguese). Avaliable at: https://www.facebook.com/uergssaochico/videos/4202784023095858/ 2.3k views on 27.06.2020
2020 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Adrianna Kochanska,
Torild Nustad
:
Gender distribution beyond coarse measurements: Balancing gender distribution in professor positions at the UiT from 2020 onwards
Septentrio Academic Publishing 2020 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
The Ethical Consequences of Criminalising Solidarity with Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the EU
2019 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
The Criminalisation of Solidarity with Immigrants
2019 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Parenting in Nordic Welfare States: A backfire for scholars in
Academia
2019 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Book review: Mayer, Benoît and Francois Crépeau. 2017. Research Handbook on Climate Change, Migration, and the Law (Edgard Elgar: Cheltenham, 512 pages)
Melina Duarte
:
A Human Right to Immigrate: The case for persons afflicted by rising sea-levels
2018 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Should high greenhouse gases emmitting countries be required to admit and resettle more climate displacees than low greenhouse gases emmitting countries?
2018 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Health requirements for residency: discriminatory policies against migrants with disabilities
2018 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
A Human Right to Immigrate: The Case for Persons Afflicted by Rising Sea-levels
2017 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Should there be a right to immigrate for persons afflicted by rising sea-Levels?
2017 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Kasper Lippert-Rasmussen,
Serena Parekh,
Annamari Vitikainen
:
Refugee Crisis: The Borders of Human Mobility
Journal of Global Ethics 2016 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Tor Ivar Hanstad
:
Realizing global justice: Theory and practice
Etikk i praksis 2016 ARKIV
Melina Duarte,
Tor Ivar Hanstad
:
Introduction to Realizing Global Justice Theory and Practice
Melina Duarte
:
Stand against poverty: An interview with Thomas Pogge
Melina Duarte
:
Climate Refugees: An Emergent New Global Minority
2016 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
EU-Turkey Refugee Deal: Buck-Passing and Bargaining on Human Lives at Risk?
2016 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Climate Change Refugees: The Emergence of New Minorities
2015 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Open Borders and Welfare States: Can't They Really Get Along?
2015 ARKIV
Melina Duarte
:
Er det en Løsning for Flyktingskrisen?
Nordlys 2015 ARKIV
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Research interests
- Migration Ethics and Political Justice: Political membership, freedom of movement, refugee rights, climate migration, and solidarity.
- Integration and Social Cohesion: The relationship between power, inequality, and social cohesion in diverse societies.
- Feminist Philosophy and Gender Equality in Academia: Gender balance, diversity, affirmative action, institutional inequality, and the exercise of discretion.
- Feminist Epistemology and Philosophy of Science: Epistemic diversity, objectivity, gender, and knowledge production.
- Research Ethics: Researchers’ responsibilities, ethical challenges in interdisciplinary research, and emerging technologies.
Selected Research Projects
- SKJØNN (2024–2026) – Common Sense and Moral Reasoning in Academia’s Inclusion Practices. Project Leader (2024–2025). Funded by the Research Council of Norway (350275).
- GOODINT (2021–2025) – Good Integration: Goals and Bottlenecks of Successful Integration and Social Cohesion. Researcher. Funded by the Research Council of Norway (313846).
- PRESTISJE (2018–2023) – Gender Balance in Research Leadership. Project Coordinator (2020–2021) and Project Leader (2022–2023). Funded by the Research Council of Norway (281862).
- IMPLISITT (2021–2023) – Research project on implicit biases and gender equality in academia. Project Leader (2022–2023). Funded by the Research Council of Norway (321031).
- Globalizing Minority Rights (2016–2020) – Work Package Leader for Refugees and Displaced Persons. Funded by the Research Council of Norway (259017).
- RECAST (2017–2021) – Reappraising Intellectual Debates on Civic Rights and Democracy in Europe. Researcher in the European COST network (CA16211).
Selected Publications
2020–2027
- Duarte, M. & Reibold, K. S. (eds.) (forthcoming). Gender, Discretion and Decision-Making in Academia. Routledge. Under contract.
- Duarte, M., Mikalsen, Ø. H. & Vargenes, T. (forthcoming). Between Rules and Context: The Institutionalization of Whistleblower Protection in Universities. Book chapter in Gender, Discretion and Decision-Making in Academia. Routledge.
- Pettersen, V. K. & Duarte, M. (2026). The Funding Gap in Norway: A Comparison of European and Norwegian Research Councils’ Policies on Eligibility Extension Due to Maternity Leave. Book chapter.
- Duarte, M. (2024). Social Cohesion and the Struggle for Power in Diverse Societies. Law, Ethics and Philosophy.
- Duarte, M. (2024). De tre gapene i den tradisjonelle vitenskapsfilosofiens historie: en feministisk kritikk [The Three Gaps in the Traditional History of Philosophy of Science: A Feminist Critique]. Norsk filosofisk tidsskrift.
- Duarte, M., Losleben, K. & Fjørtoft, K. (eds.) (2023). Gender Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academia: A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Transformation. Routledge.
- Duarte, M. (2023). Affirmative Action. In Gender Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Academia. Routledge.
- Duarte, M. (2020). The Ethical Consequences of Criminalizing Solidarity in the EU. Theoria.
- Duarte, M. (2020). A Human Right to Relocate: The Case for Climate Migrants. Book chapter.
Earlier Key Publications
- Duarte, M., Lippert-Rasmussen, K., Parekh, S. & Vitikainen, A. (eds.) (2018). Refugee Crisis: The Borders of Human Mobility. Routledge.
- Duarte, M. (2018). Who Should Be Granted Electoral Rights at the State Level? Etikk i Praksis.
- Duarte, M. (2018). Open Borders and Welfare States: Can't They Really Get Along? Journal of Identity and Migration Studies.
- Duarte, M., Lippert-Rasmussen, K., Parekh, S. & Vitikainen, A. (2016). Introduction to the Thematic Issue “Refugee Crisis: The Borders of Human Mobility”. Journal of Global Ethics.
- Duarte, M. (2016). Educating Citizens for Humanism: Nussbaum and the Education Crisis. Studies in Philosophy and Education.
Teaching
Duarte has teaching experience at all levels of higher education, from introductory philosophy courses (examen philosophicum) to bachelor's, master's, and PhD programmes, particularly in ethics, political philosophy, feminist philosophy, and research ethics.
She is the course coordinator for Research Ethics (SVH-8005), a PhD-level course from High North Academy addressing ethical challenges in research across disciplines.
She has also contributed to UiT's leadership training programme, teaching on leadership, diversity, and inclusion. More recently, she has been involved in the university's training programme for PhD supervisors, with a particular focus on gender perspectives in doctoral supervision.
