A. R. Desai's intellectual framework is deeply rooted in historical materialism, drawing inspiration from Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Leon Trotsky. Rather than viewing Indian society through a static, cultural-religious lens (as championed by Indologists like G.S. Ghurye or Louis Dumont), Desai conceptualized Indian society as a dynamic arena shaped by changing modes of production and underlying class struggles.
- Historical Materialism in India: Desai asserted that social institutions, religious traditions, and political structures cannot be understood in isolation from the material conditions of life and the ways in which society produces and reproduces its means of subsistence.
- Critique of Idealism: He vehemently opposed approaches that reduced Indian social reality to sacred texts, caste norms, or timeless spiritual values, arguing instead that caste and religion are mediated by economic interests and relations of production.