This study evaluates contemporary research in Arab social sciences, with an emphasis on methodological issues in sociology and anthropology. It shows that Arab social science continues to suffer from dependence on the experience of Western societies and the concepts that are generated from such experience. The paper discovered that published Arab social science research relies heavily on qualitative studies and the case study approach. The limitations on the development of Arab social science have their origins in the authoritarian and non-democratic nature of Arab governance. This fact compels Arab social scientists to avoid researching important and controversial topics such as divorce, multiethnic relations and the role of race in Arab society. Having said this, the study pointed out the presence of important research that deals with public opinion, demography, colonialism and surveillance. The study concludes by demonstrating that Western governments utilize their social scientists to intervene in the affairs of third world regions in violations of basic ethical norms of research.