A study of the relationship between tradition and modernity and their relationship to gender in Iran in the late 20th century reveals unexpected coexistence. Tradition and modernity have typically been seen as two contradicting concepts, with tradition giving way to modernity over time. In this essay, we will examine if that typical pattern exhibited itself with particular focus on the progress of women’s rights and freedoms in Iran. The idea that these two concepts are not mutually exclusive will be explored, specifically in regards to the progress of women’s rights and freedoms within Iran. This paper attempts to provide the historical context that allows one to explore tradition and modernity to better understand the future of a modern Iran.
Starting in the 1970s the United States began to demonstrate an interest in expanding their economic market far beyond their national borders. This process soon got the name of Globalization. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is the third agreement the United States signed into effect. This free trade agreement liberalize trade between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Before and after the negotiations much debate existed as to the potential success and the set backs of this agreement. To this date debate exists, however more evidence is available as to the success of this economic policy. In this paper, I explore the negative effects that Mexico has endured as a result of NAFTA. I examine the economic, public health, and environmental impacts of this agreement. Furthermore, I dive into a series of labor strikes that took place in the later part of 2015 and earlier part of 2016 around the Lexmark Maquiladora. I examine the reality that laborers in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico experience on a daily basis. I examine this case study through a post-colonial lens. Looking at the “left-over” entanglement from Colonialism. My goal in researching this topic is to analyze the potential effects that developing countries like Mexico, might face upon integrating their economy into the Global Market. More specifically what can a developing country suffer upon entering a free trade agreement with an industrialized, imperialist country like the United States.
