INTRODUCTION In this paper we draw attention to a number of methodological and conceptual issues related to study of Arab Our focus is on anthropological approaches. We choose this focus, not so much to consolidate disciplinary boundaries but to emphasize usefulness of a holistic understanding of social unit identified in society as the family. One of our concerns is to determine to what degree exhibits a specificity peculiar to Arab region. While it is certainly important to identify characteristics of in this region, it is equally important to de-mystify term the Arab and to challenge assumption of an enduring, timeless, and unchanging entity. The paper will start with a brief description of conceptual distinctions inspired by crosscultural approaches to then discuss attempts at reaching a definition of Arab family.' Finally, paper outlines parameters of variation in forms and functions in context of broader social, political, and economic change. is Family? Anthropologists no longer try to arrive at a universal definition of family; decades of research in a wide variety of societies have demonstrated that no matter how we formulate a definition of the family, there will always be exceptional cases which do not conform to it strictly.2 For us important point is to have a clear idea of what the might be in societies that we have chosen to study, that is, Arab societies. At least four different answers to question, What is family? can be distinguished analytically. It is a social unit: ( 1 ) based on common descent, or shared blood; (2) whose members share same dwelling; (3) in which members work to accomplish a particular set of tasks, such as productionand distribution of food; and (4) through which individuals are socialized and acquire important elements of social identity, including gender identity, linguistic/ethnic/national identity, and religious identity. Each of these four definitions brings with it distinctive methodological issues. To carry out research about the it is crucial to distinguish between two very different principles on which it is based: common and co-residence. The first principle specifies rights and responsibilities allocated to kin, while second defines membership in a household. Once these general analytical features of have been established cross-culturally, analysis can only proceed toward culturally-specific forms. At this point we must take into account particular society's own definition of the family. Khuri (1975:103-105) complains that most previous works on Middle Eastern families do not clearly specify whether units being discussed consist of groups of relatives or consist of people who are actually living together in a single house. The result is that earlier work is so general and vague as to be almost useless. This represents a failure to apply general, cross-cultural analytical distinctions. is more, many works fail to present clearly what local meaning of terms such as family (ahal), household (bayt), and kin group ('a'ila). If we do attempt to apply these general distinctions and, at same time, inquire about local meanings and specific cases, we find a great deal of variation. Let us look at descent in Arab first. Common Descent. Common can take many forms. In Arab world it is often conceptualized as sharing of physical substances (blood, flesh, and nerve)3 which are thought to be transmitted from one generation to next through process of sexual reproduction. Blood (Arabic: dam) is said to be transmitted from both parents to their children, while nerve (`as ab) is said only to be transmitted patrilineally. This notion of makes it possible for any individual to trace links through both paternal and maternal ancestors to a great many people. …