Firstspace
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Space as it is directly perceived by the senses. countable, uncountable
"Although there is an epistemology to the study of Firstspace, it is in Secondspace that epistemological discourse receives the greatest attention. In the long history of geographic thought, Secondspace approaches have been turned to most often when mainstream Firstspace approaches have become too rigidly materialist and "scientistic," as with the various critiques that emerged in response to the epistemological closures of positivist human geography."
- 2 Alternative form of Firstspace. alt-of, alternative, countable, uncountable
"In thinking the countryside into Soja's trialectics of spatiality it is possible to undersand the countryside in firstspace or perceived space terms. It has a materiality and 'realness' that is, while evolving and shifting, nevertheless concrete and mappable."
Example
More examples"Although there is an epistemology to the study of Firstspace, it is in Secondspace that epistemological discourse receives the greatest attention. In the long history of geographic thought, Secondspace approaches have been turned to most often when mainstream Firstspace approaches have become too rigidly materialist and "scientistic," as with the various critiques that emerged in response to the epistemological closures of positivist human geography."
Etymology
Coined by E.W. Soja as first + space
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.