In parallel with his research on contemporary Portuguese history, Bourdon published several notable works, including studies on Pombalism and the history of the Institut d’Études Portuguaises et Brésiliennes at the Sorbonne. These contributions included biographical articles on the "founding fathers" of the Institut , such as Raymond Cantel and Léon Bourdon. More recently, Bourdon authored a new Histoire du Portugal in 1994, a significantly expanded version of his earlier 1970 work. This updated edition, which has been reissued three times (2010, 2013, and 2015), has become a key reference for French scholars interested in Portuguese history. A fourth version, co-written with French historian Yves Léonard, was published in 2019. The book has also been translated and published in Portugal, where four updated editions (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015) have mirrored the French editions. This enduring work has cemented Bourdon’s reputation as a pivotal figure in the development of Portuguese historical studies in France over the past fifty years.

Beginning with prehistoric settlements, Romanisation, and barbarian invasions, the book focuses on the period between the Arab conquest and the end of the 1990s, with a brief final exploration of the early 21st century. In the introduction, Bourdon supports the thesis that Portuguese history is defined by two "fundamental traits": the country’s pioneering spirit in its early centuries and its relative backwardness in more recent times. The narrative thus highlights the precocious achievements of the Portuguese, including the early establishment of national borders, the "bourgeois" revolution of the 14th century, and the initiation of maritime expansion. In contrast, from the 17th century onward, the country began to accumulate a general lag in comparison to other European nations. This "immobility" replaced the pioneering dynamism of the 12th to 16th centuries and is illustrated by events such as the slow pace of industrialisation in the 19th century and the delayed democratisation and decolonisation in the 20th century.

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