He received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1987. Shackel is interested in the ways material items are used by individuals and groups in order to create social relations and group identity.
Material culture is a powerful tool that can express gender, ethnicity, class, and power relations.
Taking an anthropological and historical perspective of material culture allows him to pursue questions on how the value and meaning of goods may change over time in order to define and redefine individual and group relations. These projects provide work and educational opportunities for students. Shackel is interested in what nationally significant sites mean to the American public, and how they help to create and maintain a national identity. Archaeology plays a significant role in revealing controversial issues of our country s development, such as labor, racism, and slavery. These cooperative agreements with the National Park Service help to explore these issues.