The Struggle for Survival and Identity of the World’s Oldest Empire: An Analysis on Modernization and Traditionalism in Iran over the 20th Century and its Varying Conceptions of Human Rights through a Cultural Relativist Perspective

Abstract

This research will dive into the mechanisms of how Iran developed over the last century until the resent. Taking the 1906 constitutional revolution as a starting point, it will uncover how civil society groups pushing for a constitution, which created societal grievances that still persist today. A dissection of the institutional reforms during the Pahlavi era is given, to uncover how Iran modernized and gained a unique position in the world. However, grievances persisted and after the revolution in 1979, Iran would transition into an Islamic republic, ruling with an iron fist. In asking the following question; ‘how was the Islamic government able to rise to power and persist in autocratic ruling to this day?’, grievances within society and Iranian politics are uncovered, allowing for a concise dissection of how the Islamic regime embedded its power. Following on this, the research will dissect how the Islamic regime is able to persist through its interpretation of human rights. From a cultural relativist perspective, a comparison will be made between domestic, religious, and binding international documents to uncover this interpretation. These will be reflected upon juvenile criminal proceedings, to interpret Iran’s communitarian conception of human rights in which the individual can be sacrificed to safeguard the state and Islam. Iran shows a conception of human rights rejecting universalism and individualism, favoring survival of religious community and prolonging national self-determination