A black-and-white photo of an elderly man with a friendly smile, wearing a collared shirt under a dark sweater vest. He has a light beard and short, neatly combed white hair, giving him a warm and approachable appearance. The background includes office equipment and windows, suggesting a professional or academic setting.
A black-and-white photo of an elderly man with a friendly smile, wearing a collared shirt under a dark sweater vest. He has a light beard and short, neatly combed white hair, giving him a warm and approachable appearance. The background includes office equipment and windows, suggesting a professional or academic setting.

Edward W. Soja

Historical

Historical

May 4, 1940

-

Nov 1, 2015

A black-and-white photo of an elderly man with a friendly smile, wearing a collared shirt under a dark sweater vest. He has a light beard and short, neatly combed white hair, giving him a warm and approachable appearance. The background includes office equipment and windows, suggesting a professional or academic setting.

Edward W. Soja

Historical

Historical

May 4, 1940

-

Nov 1, 2015

Biography

FAQ

Quotes

Biography

Edward William Soja was an American geographer and an urban theorist widely associated with spatial theory and urban study. Soja was born in New York City to Polish immigrants; his growing-up experiences in the Bronx instilled in him a penchant for cities and geography.

He pursued his education at Syracuse University, and his interactions with African and Urban studies made him develop a love for space. During the early 1960s, Soja was engaged mainly in research during the early period of Kenya's national independence. These early investigations dealt with the spatial characteristics of modernization and national development.

This line of work gradually developed into his primary interest in critiquing space and urbanism. In 1972, Soja accepted a position in the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he continued to work.

The existing theories about the social production of space were developed under his supervision as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Soja borrowed this approach from French Marxist urban sociologist Henri Lefebvre under the spatial triad framework.

This theoretical framework, which discusses physical, conceptual, and lived space, led to his concept of 'Thirdspace.' Throughout his career, Soja published several key works shaping how scholars and practitioners think about urban spaces, including Postmodern Geographies (1989) and Thirdspace: Trips to L.A. and Other Actual and Virtual Destinations (1996).

Crescent, Soja developed abstract theoretical concepts and actively used his critical spatial practice in urban space, especially in the Los Angeles context. He contributed to the understanding of urban transformation, the development of regions, and spatial justice to frame the debates on urban inequality and regulation.

A loyal audience for Soja's works was worldwide, and his works were famous in various fields, including geography, sociology, political science, and city studies. However, his impact is not only in the theoretical contribution but also in the students at UCLA and around the world he taught.

Quotes

"Space is not a mere backdrop to human activity, but a dynamic force in the shaping of our lives."

"Thirdspace is both real and imagined, a space where the physical and the conceptual meet."

"Spatial justice is about more than the equitable distribution of resources; it is about ensuring that space itself promotes fairness."

"The socio-spatial dialectic reminds us that we create space, but space also creates us."

"Los Angeles is the laboratory for urban studies, where the extremes of inequality and innovation meet."

"Cities are not just built environments; they are the lived spaces of millions."

"Understanding the city requires a radical openness to its multifaceted nature."

"Flexibility and resilience are the new characteristics of cities in the global era."

"To write the city spatially is to capture its complexity in all dimensions."

"In every urban struggle, there is a fight over space."

"Space is never neutral; it is a social product influenced by politics and power."

"Geography is not just about mapping the world, but about understanding the forces that shape it."

"In the postmetropolis, the boundaries of the city are constantly shifting."

"Spatial practices reveal the hidden structures of power in urban life."

"Every place has a story, both seen and unseen."

FAQ

What is Soja best known for?

Soja is best known for his idea of 'Thirdspace' and his work on spatiality and urbanism.

What is Thirdspace?

Thirdspace concerns the ability to spatialize and historicize physical, metaphysical, and experiential spaces to enhance understanding of the 'geographies' of human existence.

What exactly did Soja do to urban theory?

Soja's body of work mainly repositioned urban geography studies and replaced spatiality with the social and political economy, including the studies in Los Angeles.

What is the socio-spatial dialectic?

The socio-spatial dialectic refers to Soja's argument that socio-relations influence space and that space, in turn, influences socio-relations, thereby forming a cycle.

ow was Soja's work connected with Los Angeles?

Soja used Los Angeles as a practical example supporting his concept of urban space restructuring.

What six visions of Los Angeles are presented by Soja?

Spatial justice means that distributive spatial relations are unjust in urban areas, and Soja's work was to fight for spatial justice in urban areas.

What is spatial justice?

Spatial justice means that distributive spatial relations are unjust in urban areas, and Soja's work was to fight for spatial justice in urban areas.

What are Soja's key works?

Soja wrote Postmodern Geographies (1989), Thirdspace (1996), and Seeking Spatial Justice (2010).

What changes in geography education did Soja bring?

His theoretical framework, especially Thirdspace, has been applied in curriculum and urban fieldwork, requiring students to understand the city through several spatial lenses.

What awards did Edward Soja get?

Soja received the Vautrin Lud Award in 2015, considered the most prestigious award in geography.

Biography

FAQ

Quotes

Biography

Edward William Soja was an American geographer and an urban theorist widely associated with spatial theory and urban study. Soja was born in New York City to Polish immigrants; his growing-up experiences in the Bronx instilled in him a penchant for cities and geography.

He pursued his education at Syracuse University, and his interactions with African and Urban studies made him develop a love for space. During the early 1960s, Soja was engaged mainly in research during the early period of Kenya's national independence. These early investigations dealt with the spatial characteristics of modernization and national development.

This line of work gradually developed into his primary interest in critiquing space and urbanism. In 1972, Soja accepted a position in the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he continued to work.

The existing theories about the social production of space were developed under his supervision as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Soja borrowed this approach from French Marxist urban sociologist Henri Lefebvre under the spatial triad framework.

This theoretical framework, which discusses physical, conceptual, and lived space, led to his concept of 'Thirdspace.' Throughout his career, Soja published several key works shaping how scholars and practitioners think about urban spaces, including Postmodern Geographies (1989) and Thirdspace: Trips to L.A. and Other Actual and Virtual Destinations (1996).

Crescent, Soja developed abstract theoretical concepts and actively used his critical spatial practice in urban space, especially in the Los Angeles context. He contributed to the understanding of urban transformation, the development of regions, and spatial justice to frame the debates on urban inequality and regulation.

A loyal audience for Soja's works was worldwide, and his works were famous in various fields, including geography, sociology, political science, and city studies. However, his impact is not only in the theoretical contribution but also in the students at UCLA and around the world he taught.

Quotes

"Space is not a mere backdrop to human activity, but a dynamic force in the shaping of our lives."

"Thirdspace is both real and imagined, a space where the physical and the conceptual meet."

"Spatial justice is about more than the equitable distribution of resources; it is about ensuring that space itself promotes fairness."

"The socio-spatial dialectic reminds us that we create space, but space also creates us."

"Los Angeles is the laboratory for urban studies, where the extremes of inequality and innovation meet."

"Cities are not just built environments; they are the lived spaces of millions."

"Understanding the city requires a radical openness to its multifaceted nature."

"Flexibility and resilience are the new characteristics of cities in the global era."

"To write the city spatially is to capture its complexity in all dimensions."

"In every urban struggle, there is a fight over space."

"Space is never neutral; it is a social product influenced by politics and power."

"Geography is not just about mapping the world, but about understanding the forces that shape it."

"In the postmetropolis, the boundaries of the city are constantly shifting."

"Spatial practices reveal the hidden structures of power in urban life."

"Every place has a story, both seen and unseen."

FAQ

What is Soja best known for?

Soja is best known for his idea of 'Thirdspace' and his work on spatiality and urbanism.

What is Thirdspace?

Thirdspace concerns the ability to spatialize and historicize physical, metaphysical, and experiential spaces to enhance understanding of the 'geographies' of human existence.

What exactly did Soja do to urban theory?

Soja's body of work mainly repositioned urban geography studies and replaced spatiality with the social and political economy, including the studies in Los Angeles.

What is the socio-spatial dialectic?

The socio-spatial dialectic refers to Soja's argument that socio-relations influence space and that space, in turn, influences socio-relations, thereby forming a cycle.

ow was Soja's work connected with Los Angeles?

Soja used Los Angeles as a practical example supporting his concept of urban space restructuring.

What six visions of Los Angeles are presented by Soja?

Spatial justice means that distributive spatial relations are unjust in urban areas, and Soja's work was to fight for spatial justice in urban areas.

What is spatial justice?

Spatial justice means that distributive spatial relations are unjust in urban areas, and Soja's work was to fight for spatial justice in urban areas.

What are Soja's key works?

Soja wrote Postmodern Geographies (1989), Thirdspace (1996), and Seeking Spatial Justice (2010).

What changes in geography education did Soja bring?

His theoretical framework, especially Thirdspace, has been applied in curriculum and urban fieldwork, requiring students to understand the city through several spatial lenses.

What awards did Edward Soja get?

Soja received the Vautrin Lud Award in 2015, considered the most prestigious award in geography.

Biography

FAQ

Quotes

Biography

Edward William Soja was an American geographer and an urban theorist widely associated with spatial theory and urban study. Soja was born in New York City to Polish immigrants; his growing-up experiences in the Bronx instilled in him a penchant for cities and geography.

He pursued his education at Syracuse University, and his interactions with African and Urban studies made him develop a love for space. During the early 1960s, Soja was engaged mainly in research during the early period of Kenya's national independence. These early investigations dealt with the spatial characteristics of modernization and national development.

This line of work gradually developed into his primary interest in critiquing space and urbanism. In 1972, Soja accepted a position in the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he continued to work.

The existing theories about the social production of space were developed under his supervision as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. Soja borrowed this approach from French Marxist urban sociologist Henri Lefebvre under the spatial triad framework.

This theoretical framework, which discusses physical, conceptual, and lived space, led to his concept of 'Thirdspace.' Throughout his career, Soja published several key works shaping how scholars and practitioners think about urban spaces, including Postmodern Geographies (1989) and Thirdspace: Trips to L.A. and Other Actual and Virtual Destinations (1996).

Crescent, Soja developed abstract theoretical concepts and actively used his critical spatial practice in urban space, especially in the Los Angeles context. He contributed to the understanding of urban transformation, the development of regions, and spatial justice to frame the debates on urban inequality and regulation.

A loyal audience for Soja's works was worldwide, and his works were famous in various fields, including geography, sociology, political science, and city studies. However, his impact is not only in the theoretical contribution but also in the students at UCLA and around the world he taught.

Quotes

"Space is not a mere backdrop to human activity, but a dynamic force in the shaping of our lives."

"Thirdspace is both real and imagined, a space where the physical and the conceptual meet."

"Spatial justice is about more than the equitable distribution of resources; it is about ensuring that space itself promotes fairness."

"The socio-spatial dialectic reminds us that we create space, but space also creates us."

"Los Angeles is the laboratory for urban studies, where the extremes of inequality and innovation meet."

"Cities are not just built environments; they are the lived spaces of millions."

"Understanding the city requires a radical openness to its multifaceted nature."

"Flexibility and resilience are the new characteristics of cities in the global era."

"To write the city spatially is to capture its complexity in all dimensions."

"In every urban struggle, there is a fight over space."

"Space is never neutral; it is a social product influenced by politics and power."

"Geography is not just about mapping the world, but about understanding the forces that shape it."

"In the postmetropolis, the boundaries of the city are constantly shifting."

"Spatial practices reveal the hidden structures of power in urban life."

"Every place has a story, both seen and unseen."

FAQ

What is Soja best known for?

Soja is best known for his idea of 'Thirdspace' and his work on spatiality and urbanism.

What is Thirdspace?

Thirdspace concerns the ability to spatialize and historicize physical, metaphysical, and experiential spaces to enhance understanding of the 'geographies' of human existence.

What exactly did Soja do to urban theory?

Soja's body of work mainly repositioned urban geography studies and replaced spatiality with the social and political economy, including the studies in Los Angeles.

What is the socio-spatial dialectic?

The socio-spatial dialectic refers to Soja's argument that socio-relations influence space and that space, in turn, influences socio-relations, thereby forming a cycle.

ow was Soja's work connected with Los Angeles?

Soja used Los Angeles as a practical example supporting his concept of urban space restructuring.

What six visions of Los Angeles are presented by Soja?

Spatial justice means that distributive spatial relations are unjust in urban areas, and Soja's work was to fight for spatial justice in urban areas.

What is spatial justice?

Spatial justice means that distributive spatial relations are unjust in urban areas, and Soja's work was to fight for spatial justice in urban areas.

What are Soja's key works?

Soja wrote Postmodern Geographies (1989), Thirdspace (1996), and Seeking Spatial Justice (2010).

What changes in geography education did Soja bring?

His theoretical framework, especially Thirdspace, has been applied in curriculum and urban fieldwork, requiring students to understand the city through several spatial lenses.

What awards did Edward Soja get?

Soja received the Vautrin Lud Award in 2015, considered the most prestigious award in geography.

Life and achievements

Early life

Edward Soja was born to Polish-born parents on May 4, 1940, in the Bronx, New York. Soja developed an early passion for geographical exploration due to the compacted environment of New York City, where he grew up.

Syracuse University was his first academic institution, and he was motivated by his lecturers, such as Eduardo Mondlane, an African nationalist who inspired Soja toward political geography and development. After receiving his bachelor's degree, Soja continued his education in East Africa, where he researched Kenyan urbanization during the transition to independence.

Soja's early work was in the geography of modernization and the formation of nations in post-colonial Africa. His dissertation, The Geography of Modernization in Kenya, published in 1968, brought him recognition as a young scholar in political geography.

Soja began his academic career by teaching at Northwestern University and doing fieldwork in Africa before focusing on urbanization and spatial theory, especially after joining UCLA in 1972.

Legacy

Edward Soja's work is lodged firmly in the annals of spatial theory and urbanism. Lefebvre's idea of Thirdspace has shifted the thinking of academics and professionals regarding cities, moving from the physical to the abstract and experiencing urban space.

Soja's anti-dualistic synthesis of geography, sociology, political economy, and cultural theories proved beneficial in narrowing the theory-practice divide in urban planning.

Soja played a role in the 'spatial turn' in geography, pushing space back into the center of how society operates. His work was helpful for urban theorists, architects, planners, and political geographers, especially when describing cities like Los Angeles.

Especially in his later works, Soja emphasized how space, as a result of social production, reproduces social injustice, calling for spatial justice, where social justice demands how space is distributed and with what authority.

His scholarship has been influential in critical urban theory and teaching and learning geography, with his ideas applied to issues like gentrification, urban sprawl, and the right to the city.

Not only did Soja touch people's lives through his ideas, but he also guided several doctoral students who are now scholars of considerable standing. The numerous awards given to him after his death, such as the creation of the Edward Soja Memorial Fellowship at UCLA, demonstrate that his work influenced generations to come.

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Your donation today shapes the future of how families and friends connect.
You will become a featured Ambassador.
Learn more ->

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Your donation today shapes the future of how families and friends connect.
You will become a featured Ambassador.
Learn more ->

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Milestone moments

Mar 12, 1967

Dissertation on Kenya completed
In 1967, Edward Soja completed his dissertation, The Geography of Modernization in Kenya: A Spatial Analysis of Social, Economic, and Political Change, published by Syracuse University Press the following year.

The work was founded on Soja's field studies in Kenya during its transition to independence.
The author sought to explore the impact of modernization on space and social relations.

Published in 1979, this essay represented Soja's early scholarly work and helped lay the foundation for his later work concerning spatial theory in political geography.

Apr 23, 1972

Appointment at UCLA
In 1972, Soja joined the Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Planning at UCLA, which initiated his interest in urban theory.

At UCLA, Soja shifted his research focus from African issues to the urban remapping of Los Angeles and the social construction of spaces in the city.
His work at UCLA enabled him to develop an interdisciplinary perspective on planning, political economy, and spatial theory.

May 16, 1989

Postmodern Geographies published
In 1989, Soja published Postmodern Geographies: The Reassertion of Space in Critical Social Theory.This book was a pioneering work in the spatial turn in geography.
It combined postmodernism with critical social theory to emphasize the role of space in social organization.
This publication established Soja as a critical theorist in urban studies and inspired a generation of scholars in many related fields.

Mar 13, 1996

Introduction of Thirdspace
In 1996, Soja published Thirdspace: Journeys to Los Angeles and Other Real-and-Imagined Places, where he presented his theory of Thirdspace as the integration of real, imagined, and embodied space.

This theoretical innovation deepened the understanding of urban studies and spatial theory by recognizing space as more than a physical reality or geography.
Thirdspace was one of Soja's most significant contributions to the spatial turn and continues to influence urbanism and geography.

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