Communication and culture in basic ecclesial communities (BECs): a case study in the central-western region of Brazil

This article aims to investigate the communicational dimension of the cultural practices of the Basic Ecclesial Communities (BECs), linked to the Catholic Church. The research, which was of a qualitative nature, is based on a case study through participant observation, referring to a meeting in May 2019 on the theme of Youth and Good Living, held in the city of Cuiaba, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso, in the central-western region of Brazil. The theoretical approach is guided by the model of studies of communication as culture, with interdisciplinary references such as communication as "science of the common" and as "dialogue" and culture as "interpretive science". The article brings the conceptual framework and the historical composition of the BECs - since the struggle against the dictatorship in Brazil in the 1960s -, and highlights their socio-political partnerships and the viability of priority guidelines. It describes the current functioning of BECs based on cultural practices that produce meaning and symbolic value. The conclusions point to an indiscernibility between communication and culture, insofar as the BECs: constitute a way of being through the convergence of the rational, ludic, artistic, affective and spiritual fields; they promote organizational forms guided by multiple types of cooperation; and develop an articulated capacity for dialogue with religious entities and society in general.