Managing HuGE Expectations: Rhetorical Strategies in Human Genome Epidemiology

This paper examines the rhetorical processes by which spokespersons and practitioners
of human genome epidemiology (HuGE) try to articulate and legitimate their
methods and approaches, while solidifying their future in American public health as
a discipline at the intersection of epidemiological and genomic discourses. Based on
works within the ‘dynamics of expectations’ this examination seeks to expand on the
temporal understanding of expectations by identifying the specific rhetorical strategies
used to manage emerging techno-sciences. Understanding such specific strategies
is necessary for analysts working around fields of science that are highly contested
and lodged in a prospective discourse, such as the climate sciences, information
technologies, and other areas of biotechnology.

Key words: expectations, rhetoric, human genome epidemiology