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In this paper I explore the way in which scientists attempt to construct schizophrenia as a genetic disease using various discursive strategies. These strategies involve: referring back to earlier twin and adoption studies on schizophrenia inheritance; constructing genetic models to allow some rôle for single gene versions of the condition; a cautious and responsible limit on the strength of current research; and the construction of a range of bordering conditions which contribute to the genetic risk of schizophrenia. These various rhetorics produce a `narrative' about schizophrenia which subtly prioritizes genetic explanations, while appearing to allow a rôle for non-genetic factors; I term this the `narrative of enlightened geneticization'. This research has implications for scientific controversies, specifically the way in which critics attack schizophrenia genetics, since many of their points are already incorporated into the …