As government systems become increasingly computerized, the expectations of citizenship have shifted in many unique ways. In a recent SouthTalk, Marc Aidinoff explored how technology shaped Mississippi’s government operations since the 1970’s and the impact it still has today. He showed the ways that race, gender, and poverty have become intertwined with technical decisions, and sheds light on their evolving relationship with politics and welfare by examining the role of computers in state administrations.
His talk, titled “Computers, Welfare, and Southern Politics: the Technological Environments of Government in Mississippi” was a recent installation in a series of SouthTalk events given by The Center for the Study of Southern Culture [The Center.] The goal of these events, whether they be lectures, performances, film screenings, or panel discussions, is to explore the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies.
Afton Thomas, associate director for programs at The Center, said that there is a collaborative effort involved in the planning process, and that each event is designed around a specific theme or topic.
“In consultation with my colleagues, I plan 12 to 15 events each semester loosely organized under a theme,” said Thomas via email. “During the 2024-25 academic year, The Center’s programming focuses on ‘Southern Environments.’ We began with its most obvious interpretation-the natural world-but quickly moved to a broader understanding of ‘environments’ as a variety of constructed and organic spaces in which multiple forces interact.”
For Aidinoff’s talk specifically, the Center was interested in analyzing how technology plays a part in the Mississippi government, which aligns with the broader exploration of how these different forces shape Southern environments.
“We will ask questions about how the history and idea of ‘the South’ shapes those worlds and how the people living in them influenced their development,” said Thomas. “In the case of Marc Aidinoff’s talk, we explored the technological environments of government in Mississippi.”
“Dr Aidinoff was a visiting professor two years ago and co-taught a graduate-level course in Southern Studies,” said Thomas. “His talk…is part of an upcoming book he is working on. In planning the SouthTalks series, I aim to include a range of topics that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies.” She says as a result, the talks encompass both expected and unexpected themes, and that Aidinoff’s lecture has a blend of both as a result.
Dr. Marc Aidinoff is an incoming assistant professor of the history of technology program at Harvard University. Rebooting Liberalism, Aidinoff’s current work in progress, examines the ways welfare, technology, and politics intersect. His book project was what qualified him as an ideal candidate to lead the discussion on this particular topic.
Aidinoff’s talk, held at the Overby Auditorium Tuesday evening, brought awareness to an issue that not many were previously privy to: how systems set up to help those on welfare are actually still behind in many ways.
“I think what I find really interesting is the obsessive need to kind of determine need and who deserves welfare, who’s worthy of aid,” said Sheila Sunbar, assistant professor of English at the University of Mississippi. “That’s long been a question in Mississippi, in the south, of who deserves what we consider to be handouts. I’ve always been interested in the ways poverty is punished and legislated. And I think technology can probably be an agent for being really efficient in our distribution of meeting people’s needs. But it can also be a way of creating additional barriers.”
Influenced by the nonprofit news site Mississippi Today, Aidinoff said that he wanted to focus specifically on Mississippi because he could see that there was a continued need for the refinement of its systems.
“I was inspired by so much of the Mississippi Today reporting and Shad White’s work and folks who’ve shown how much work there is improving the system here.”
At the conclusion of the event, Sundar said her perspective had changed, noting that she was most surprised to learn about the deep history of the intersection between welfare and politics, as well as the pivotal role technology plays.
“I was unaware of the history-maybe that sort of slightly benevolent history-from having a presence in the household determining your worthiness of aid, or the legitimacy of claims to computerizing it,” she said, emphasizing Aidinoff’s point about personal biases making access to welfare programs difficult.
Looking ahead, Aidinoff hopes that audience members leave with the understanding that there is hope for addressing the flaws in the systems that impact and shape welfare programming.
“As more and more students become computer science majors, they can build computers that actually help people get the things they’re entitled to. Computer scientists are going to be part of building systems that either help or hurt people, so building them thoughtfully is definitely going to be worthwhile.”