[1] Conversi is most known for his contributions to the fields of political and social history, particularly for improving contemporary understanding of historical events, movements, and societal changes, specialising in Spain and the north Mediterranean.
He established that climate change negotiations have often been hampered, derailed, obfuscated, made difficult, and have even failed because of the combined pressures of nationalist politics and the vested interests of the fossil fuels industries.
He analysed the cultural changes brought about by two significant political forces in the modern age: the centralising "nation-state" that reached its peak during World War II and the subsequent era of US-led neo-liberal globalisation.
[23] Conversi's first book, The Basques, the Catalans, and Spain, examined how nationalist elites redefined "national culture", highlighting how forced assimilation and the erosion of regional distinctiveness played a significant role in fuelling the intensification of ethnonational conflicts.
His work redefines globalisation as a missed opportunity, leading to the global diffusion of an extremely narrow set of rules, values and cultural norms, mostly originating in the USA – rather than to more inter-cultural encounters and exchanges.
In contrast with the customary "glocalization", "mélange", and "hybridity" hypotheses, he identifies a top-down pattern of cultural diffusion spreading in successive incremental waves since at least the 1920s, but only expressed at a mass global level since the 1980s – the era of neo-liberal globalisation.
[26] While examining the relationship between modernity, globalisation, and nationalism, Conversi's work provides insights into the frenzied boundary-building process that emerges through the interaction of these forces as they shape social divisions and hierarchies through forms of power concentration, such as nation-building, imperialism, and colonialism.
[31] Conversi's early research investigates instrumentalism, primordialism, modernism, and perennialist theories, providing a comprehensive analysis of Anthony D. Smith's ethno-symbolic approach – to better understand the limitations that policymakers should consider when formulating conflict resolution strategies.
[33] Connecting globalisation with monoculturalism, Conversi suggests that majoritarian democracy may not offer the optimal mechanism for resolving nationalist conflicts, as it is prone to encouraging nationalism and associated discord owing to its emphasis on cultural homogenisation and majority dominance.
[35] His exploration of Italy's political Futurism confirms how art and cultural symbols were utilised to reinforce national identity and mobilise intellectuals in preparation for war and, later, adherence to the Fascist regime.