Areas of Professional Study and Interest
- HIST 201 - World Civilizations Before 1500 (Honors)
- HIST 202 - World Civilization Since 1500
- HIST 200 - The Historians Craft
- HIST 250 - History of Eastern Oceania
- HIST 365 - Hawaiian History I - Pre-Western
- HIST 379 - U.S. Since 1945
- HIST 383 - History of Asia & Pacific Americans
- HIST 390R - Special Studies
- HIST 485 - Junior Tutorial
- HIST 490 - Historical Research and Writing
Education
- PhD, University of California - Santa Barbara, 2006
- MA, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, 2000
- BA, Brigham Young University–Hawaiʻi, 1997
Teaching Experience
- Full-Time Instructor, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, 2005-2006
- Lecture, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, 2003-2005
Languages
- ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi (Hawaiian)
Selected Publications
- *Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in 20th Century Hawaiʻi* (University of Hawaiʻi Press, 2011). Recipient of the 2014 Kenneth Baldridge Book Award.
- “Kai Ea: Rising Waves of Hawaiian National and Ethnic Identities,” in *Critical Surf Studies Reader* (Duke University Press, 2017).
- “Hawaiians in the Olympics: Autonomy in Progress,” in *Waves of Belonging* (University of Washington Press, 2025).
- “How Native Hawaiian Surfers Used the Ocean as a Sanctuary,” PBS *American Masters* (2022).
Biographical Sketch
Isaiah Helekunihi Walker was born and raised in Keaukaha, Hilo, Hawai‘i. He is currently the academic vice president at Brigham Young University–Hawaii where he oversees faculty instruction, curriculum, and academic operations. After graduating from Hilo High School in 1991, he earned a bachelor’s degree in history from BYU–Hawaii, then a master's degree from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, and finally a doctoral degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Walker’s doctoral research analyzes the history of surfing, resistance, and masculinity in Hawai‘i, contending that the po‘ina nalu (surf zone) has been a pu'uhonua, or cultural and social sanctuary.
For the last 15 years, Walker has been a professor of history at BYU–Hawaii. Prior to his tenure there, Walker was a visiting professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo and a lecturer at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Walker is the author of several publications, including the award-winning book, Waves of Resistance: Surfing and History in 20th Century Hawai‘i. He has also consulted as the historian on multiple media publications and productions as a leading expert in his field: including ESPN’s Hawaiian: the Legend of Eddie Aikau, a documentary on Duke Kahanamoku, Waterman, and Through the Doggy Door, a film about Sheldon Paishon and Mason Ho. He also enjoys educating viewers on topics in Hawaiian history as a commentator at professional surfing competitions, most notably Da Hui Backdoor Shoutout. He is married to Rebekah Matagi, and they have five children.
