Fearful Constructions of the Yogi/Guru: Hypnotism, Brainwashing, and Black Magic

This paper analyses a modern genealogy of the fearful constructions of the figure of the yogi by tracing a history of the discourses of hypnotism, brainwashing, and coercive control. It begins with a broad interrogation into how liberal fears of perceived threats to individual autonomy circulate in the United States and India. The author shows how the United States has surveilled the yogi/guru’s powers of mind control, while in Indian electoral politics they are instrumentalized. This paper concludes with the case study of a very real psychosis of an Indian businesswoman who believes herself to be “under attack” from a nefarious yogi/guru who is engaging in “black magic,” showing the intimate impact of such fearful discourses. Drawing on queer theorists who interrogate the affective impacts of fearful discourses, this paper reveals the consequences of the constructed fear of the “dangerous” yogi/guru.