A.R. Desai – Dialectical Materialist Perspective
🔹 What is Dialectical Materialism?
Materialism: Economic base determines social institutions.
Dialectics: Society changes through internal contradictions (class struggle).
History: Process of class conflict → Marx's method.
Desai applied this to understand colonial & postcolonial India — critique of nationalism, state, rural structure, democracy.
📚 Key Works and Concepts
1. Social Background of Indian Nationalism (1948)
- Nationalism was bourgeois-led, not revolutionary.
- Congress represented landowners, lawyers, capitalists — not peasants/workers.
Swadeshi Movement focused on Indian industries, not agrarian reform.
2. Rural Sociology in India (1969)
- Rural society = semi-feudal exploitation, not harmonious village republics.
- Green Revolution benefitted rich farmers; marginal ones remained poor.
Bihar landlords vs tenants — feudal relations under capitalist cover.
3. State and Society in India (1974)
- Indian State is NOT neutral — it serves ruling class interests.
- Emergency (1975–77) used state machinery against the poor.
Narmada Dam displaced tribal communities; industrialists gained.
4. Peasant Struggles in India (1979)
- Peasant movements are rooted in class struggle, not just religion or emotion.
- Telangana, Tebhaga, Naxalite Movements — all expressions of class contradictions.
Naxalbari uprising — tribal peasantry vs landlords.
5. Ideology and Culture
- Influenced by Gramsci — ideology maintains hegemony via media, religion, education.
- Ruling class shapes culture to suppress class consciousness.
Media labeled farmer protests as “anti-national” to delegitimize dissent.
📌 Summary Table
| Concept | Desai’s View | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Nationalism | Bourgeois movement | Congress served industrial interests |
| State | Instrument of class rule | Land reforms failed to benefit poor |
| Democracy | Form without substance | Emergency abuses, displacement |
| Village | Semi-feudal class society | Bihar landlord-tenant conflict |
| Class Struggle | Key to change | Telangana, Naxalite uprisings |
| Ideology | Hegemonic control Email Verification |
