SCIENCES OF EDUCATION. INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES ISSUE 2018/1(6) Discussions / polemics / reviews Dominik Chojnowski ∗ Are we really doomed to educational failure? Pedagogy as a tool to liberate the oppressed of this world Abstract In this article, I represent a radical approach to the ruling capitalist system of exploitation. The purpose of my analysis is to extract from critical pedagogy its constitutive elements in order to challenge the underlying assumptions of a society driven by the desire for constant profit. Henry Giroux and Peter McLaren, as two radical thinkers, show us a way in which we can take education back from the oppressors. This is not an easy task, but it can be accomplished if we challenge the current system through subversive practices. In this task, a key role must fall to teachers, who should take into account the presence of different cultural narratives in the school classroom. The school classroom is not a neutral place where the teacher imparts objective knowledge, but also a space where we can either close or open a path to students' liberation by showing them how the social space in their communities is constructed through relationships based on dominant forms of power and knowledge. Teachers who are aware of how the school effectively implements its hidden agenda of subjugating the minds of its students can prevent its implementation by implementing alternative teaching strategies. To summarize: the school classroom is a very important place where we can enslave or liberate students by showing them a critical perspective on the current capitalist system - as offered by Marxist theory and practice. By doing so, we will achieve a milestone in the transformative process of leading the oppressed to recognize their subordinate position in the dominant culture, which will enable them to consciously organize in the struggle for freedom. Keywords: Marxist practice, critical pedagogy, commodification of education, social change, school class, subversive educational practice, emancipation, critical perspective. ∗ PhD student, Maria Grzegorzewska Academy of Special Education in Warsaw. http://dx.doi.org/10.18778/2450-4491.06.14 180 Subscribe to DeepL Pro to translate larger documents. Visit www.DeepL.com/pro for more information.