Curtis Ladrillo Chamblee

Background

About Curtis Ladrillo Chamblee

Curtis Ladrillo Chamblee M.A. I am an Afro-Filipino scholar, educator, and cultural critic whose work explores the intersections of Media Studies, Critical Cultural Studies, and African American Rhetoric. My research investigates how media constructs and circulates representations of Black masculinity, identity, and spatial belonging. I approach media not only as entertainment but as a site of power, ideology, and cultural memory—a place where race, gender, and geography converge to shape how we understand ourselves and the world around us. Currently, I am completing my Ph.D. in Communication Studies at the University of Memphis. My dissertation, “Tell Me a Story about Home: The Impact of Place on the Representations of Black Masculinity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” examines how Black masculinity is constructed within the superhero genre, focusing on Luke Cage, Sam Wilson (The Falcon/Captain America), and Black Panther. My work bridges rhetorical theory, media studies, and Black geographies to analyze how superhero narratives become contemporary mythologies of identity and resistance. Beyond my dissertation, I am the lead editor of an upcoming volume on ethnography, media, and culture, and I actively contribute to public scholarship, documentary production, and media criticism. I also serve as a mentor in the Communication Ph.D. Pipeline Program (CP3) and the Hooks Academic Achievement and Mentoring Initiative (HAAMI), guiding first-generation and underrepresented students in academic writing, research, and professionalization. My research framework, which I call Afroterroir, centers the relationship between place, relationships, and discourse in shaping Black media narratives. This approach is informed by my own lived experience as a U.S. Air Force veteran, cancer survivor, and descendant of Afro-Filipino lineage. My academic and personal journey is rooted in a broader mission of re-membering the voices, histories, and cultural knowledge of those erased or marginalized by dominant systems. I believe that research and teaching are not merely intellectual pursuits—they are acts of liberation. I am committed to fostering critical engagement, mentorship, and community building, ensuring that my scholarship extends beyond the academy and contributes to public discourse, equity, and cultural reawakening.