secondspace

Etymology

Coined by E.W. Soja as second + space

Why this word is great

SECONDSPACE — [Noun] The conceptual or representational dimension of space, distinct from its physical manifestation. Coined by E.W. Soja from 'second' (denoting a secondary or conceptual layer) and 'space' (from Old French 'espace', Latin 'spatium', meaning 'extent or area'). Unlike 'firstspace' (the tangible world underfoot) or 'thirdspace' (which synthesizes and transcends both physical and imagined realms), secondspace is the realm of ideas, maps, and abstractions. It is the architect’s blueprint before the foundation is poured, the border drawn through a continuous landscape, or the way a lover’s memory of a room lingers long after the walls have crumbled—proof that the mind’s constructions can outlast the very earth they describe.

noun

Space as it is conceived, as opposed to space that is directly perceived. For example, the conception of a space based on a map or description.“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 e”