In this introductory chapter the editors of the volume make the case for the study of space as a dimension of historical experience over the longue durée in the premodern world. The chapter begins with a summary of the intellectual history of the spatial turn in the humanities and the social sciences. It then combines the theoretical impulse of the spatial turn with the emerging field of the history of experience and formulates a theoretical framework for the analysis of the dynamic relationship between space and experience. After this, the chapter introduces the two primary perspectives on the analysis of space and experience utilized in this volume: space as a framework for experience and spatial practices as an element in the production of space and experience. Before concluding the chapter with a discussion on the relevance of a long-term viewpoint as the basis for the present volume and reflecting on potential avenues of future research, the structure of the volume and the themes of the individual chapters are introduced.