Dr. Melanie Tanielian

Biography

Melanie S. Tanielian is an Associate Professor in the Department of History at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she also directs the Program in International Comparative Studies. Her monograph, "Charity War: Famine, Humanitarian Aid and World War I in the Middle East," examines the Ottoman home front's struggle with total war and the efforts to mitigate starvation and sickness during this period. Tanielian focuses on the impact of wartime famine on communities, analyzing the role of municipal institutions, philanthropic religious organizations, and international agencies in addressing these crises. Her research interests encompass social and cultural history of the WWI Middle East, the emergence of religious philanthropic societies in conflict, and modern humanitarianism. She is currently working on a new book titled "Scandals of Salvation: German Humanitarianism in the Eastern Mediterranean, 1896-1933," which delves into the complexities navigated by a small group of German Protestant humanitarians in the region during this tumultuous period. Her recent research has received support from the American Council of Learned Societies and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Research Interests