Abstract

The contribution gives an outline of spatial theory as it developed in the 20th century under a certain perspective within Phenomenology: Those approaches differed from conceptualizations of space as they focus primarily on ‘topology’. In mathematical respect topology defines space by its relational aspects and not by referring to metrics or extension. However, within Phenomenology the understanding of topology varies or is not always made explicit: It can vary from an emphasis on the topos to a description of the relation between places. The aim of the contribution therefore is to also show the different understandings of topology, whereby beside central Phenomenologists like Edmund Husserl, Martin Heidegger and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, the work of authors like Kurt Lewin can be rediscovered as a contribution to phenomenological thinking. Finally, by taking into account the topological understanding of space, it can be demonstrated that Structuralism and Phenomenology agree on basic principles of analyzing aspects of culture, communication and consciousness.