The Eilenberg Steenrod axioms are functors on the homotopy category of pairs of "spaces" $(X, A)$. Typically they are introduced when $X$ and $A$ are some sort of topological spaces. My question is can "spaces" be taken to mean objects in other categories, like for example an arbitrary model category $C$?
First, we would need to define what a pair $(X, A)$ means, where $X, A \in Ob(C)$. My guess/attempt at a definition is $(X, A)$ is a pair if there is a map $A \to X$ that is a cofibration in $C$. What would the empty set (in $Top$) correspond to in $C$? And then what about an excissive triad $(X; A, B)$?
I presume this has all been figured out; I am not really familiar with algebraic topology. Any references?