Carlos Castaneda: The Guru Who Fooled Millions
About this episode:
Carlos Castaneda became one of the most celebrated writers of the 1970s by claiming to have studied with a Yaqui shaman named Don Juan. His books sold millions, won over prominent academics, and captivated readers including John Lennon and Federico Fellini. Behind the stories of ancient wisdom, however, was a secretive group whose members were expected to cut ties with their families and submit to Castaneda’s authority. They were promised a chance at immortality. After his death, five women from his inner circle disappeared. One woman’s remains were later found in Death Valley.
Ru Marshall spent twenty years investigating Castaneda for American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda. In this conversation with Michael Shermer, Marshall explains how Castaneda assembled Don Juan’s teachings from other people’s work and persuaded scholars to accept them as anthropology. The harder question is why evidence of deception did so little to weaken his followers’ loyalty. Some were doctoral students themselves. How did a promise of personal freedom become a demand for obedience?
Ru Marshall is an American writer, visual artist, critic, and author of the new book American Trickster: The Hidden Lives of Carlos Castaneda.
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Transcript
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