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KENNESAW, Ga. | Apr 19, 2025

In the rugged northwest highlands of Guatemala, Helen Hobson, a Ph.D. candidate in KSU鈥檚 International Conflict Management program, carved out a unique niche in migration studies.

In the rugged northwest highlands of Guatemala, Helen Hobson, a Ph.D. candidate in KSU鈥檚 International Conflict Management program, carved out a unique niche in migration studies. Her fieldwork in the municipality of Santa Eulalia鈥攁 99% Maya community near the Mexican border鈥攃enters on a question often overlooked: why do some choose to stay in an area when so many leave? 鈥淢y research focuses on an underexplored area of migration/mobility studies: those who do not migrate,鈥� Helen explains, highlighting a gap in scholarship that her work seeks to bridge.

Santa Eulalia, isolated and underserved, has seen waves of migration since the 1980s, driven by a lack of infrastructure and resources. Yet, Helen鈥檚 pilot research in 2022 revealed a compelling counter-narrative: families and individuals who opt to remain, even as remittances from the United States sustain most households. 鈥淭here are families and individuals who choose not to migrate even in an area with limited resources,鈥� she notes, emphasizing the significance of their strategies for survival in a region scholars describe as having 鈥渉igh levels of community rootedness among the Maya groups.鈥�

Helen鈥檚 path to Guatemala was shaped by her role as a board member for El Refugio, a nonprofit in Atlanta supporting detained immigrants and their families. 鈥淟istening to Central American immigrants through a telephone on the other side of glass in the prison, I learned directly about the structural and physical violence they were fleeing,鈥� she recalls. This experience, coupled with her critique of failed U.S. development programs, propelled her to the 鈥渙rigin point of migration.鈥� A connection with retired KSU professor Alan Lebaron then opened doors to Santa Eulalia, where a family in the Iximt茅 community shared their reasons for staying鈥攕parking the genesis of her dissertation.

Guatemala鈥檚 30-year armed conflict, ending in 1996, left unresolved structural violence鈥攑overty, poor infrastructure, and neglect鈥攖hat still drives migration from Indigenous communities. 鈥淭he peace accords did not resolve the underlying causes of the conflict,鈥� Helen asserts. By focusing on those who stay, Helen aims to inform policy with local wisdom, addressing a key reason for development failures identified by the U.S. General Accounting Office: 鈥渇ailure to adequately include local actors in planning and running the programs.鈥�

Helen鈥檚 time in Guatemala sharpened her perspective on conflict management. 鈥淢y fieldwork illustrated the importance of having local people at the very center of any efforts from planning through implementation and evaluation,鈥� she reflects, a lesson she hopes will influence policymaking. To test the impact of her findings, Helen has partnered the Rural University of Guatemala and Guatemala鈥檚 Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Nutrition. Together, they are exploring ways education and farming resources can shape migration decisions.

Although a full analysis of the data is still underway, she hints that her interviews reveal surprising drivers of resilience that could reshape development strategies. 鈥淭he preliminary themes among young people I interviewed about their aspirations to stay and not migrate to the U.S. include education, entrepreneurship, and feelings of safety.鈥� These concepts reveal a 鈥渃ulture of staying鈥� which is supported by robust networks of people, ideas, and resources. This determination to build a future within their own community could serve as a powerful model for sustainable development.

Looking ahead, Helen aspires to support Latin American communities in human rights and climate justice struggles, centering them in participatory research. To future KSU students pursuing a Ph.D. in international conflict management, she advises, 鈥淐ome in with your ideas, but be open to the breadth of theoretical and methodological training you will receive.鈥� For Helen, the journey is as transformative as the destination.

-   By Tracy Gaudlip

-  Photos by Matthew Yung