This dissertation strives to critique contemporary rhetoric on eugenics. In recent years, scientists succeeded in mapping the human genome and subsequently developed new gene editing technologies. To situate current ethical discourses about eugenics, I trace histories of these discourses at several scales of society – from the macroscopic level of the body politic to the meso level where modes of assessment have been deployed purportedly to accurately evaluate human characteristics to the microscopic level of the gene. I employ Foucauldian genealogy to highlight how, despite marked differences over time in specific eugenic discourses and practices exist, the underlying rhetoric has remained unchanged. The conclusion this study reveals is that eugenics past and present rests on a future, utopian orientation that necessarily entails the elimination of human differences and entire groups of people.
","abstract_html":"<p>This dissertation strives to critique contemporary rhetoric on eugenics. In recent years, scientists succeeded in mapping the human genome and subsequently developed new gene editing technologies. To situate current ethical discourses about eugenics, I trace histories of these discourses at several scales of society – from the macroscopic level of the body politic to the meso level where modes of assessment have been deployed purportedly to accurately evaluate human characteristics to the microscopic level of the gene. I employ Foucauldian genealogy to highlight how, despite marked differences over time in specific eugenic discourses and practices exist, the underlying rhetoric has remained unchanged. The conclusion this study reveals is that eugenics past and present rests on a future, utopian orientation that necessarily entails the elimination of human differences and entire groups of people.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Thomas, David Mark"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joshua S. Hanan","Christina R. Foust","Erin K. Willer","Thomas Nail"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2020,"date_issued":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2020-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:03Z","subjects":["Assessment","Body politic","CRISPR-Cas9","Ethics","Eugenics","Communication","Health Communication","Other Communication","Social Influence and Political Communication"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1848","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joshua S. Hanan","Christina R. Foust","Erin K. Willer","Thomas Nail"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Thomas, David Mark"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2022-09-02T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D."]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Assessment","Body politic","CRISPR-Cas9","Ethics","Eugenics","Communication","Health Communication","Other Communication","Social Influence and Political Communication"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"],"dc:subject":["Assessment","Body politic","CRISPR-Cas9","Ethics","Eugenics","Communication","Health Communication","Other Communication","Social Influence and Political Communication"],"dc:title":["Rhetorical Genealogy and the Ethics of Eugenics"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:03Z"}