The concept of "culture and development" is surfacing today at the World Bank, the British Council, UNESCO, SIDA, and other agencies within the development community. At the base of this concept is the recognition that cultural factors--ranging from religion to artistic expression--fortify or impede movements toward democratization and modernization. This project aimed to find and examine the best definitions and ideas, to produce a conceptual framework for the subject, and to determine the best practices in the field. Speakers addressed the issue through the lenses of religion, anthropology, identity, and the arts.