Introduction. The authors consider methodological tools that make it possible to conceptualize the concept of an image in the collective consciousness by referring to the research of historical memory. A substantial (political unconscious) and institutional (ideological projection of power) framework for the interpretation of empirical material is proposed. The purpose of the study is to establish the historical images used by Russian youth to form political analogies, and the factors that determine their use. Methods. As an empirical material, the results of the study «The Image of Russia in the representation of youth» by the Center for the Development of Humanitarian Technologies «NEW ERA», conducted in 2023, were used. The study involved the formation of focus groups, the participants of which formulated images and associations related to Russia of the present and the future. Several questions involved referring to historical materials. The answers are analyzed within the formulated theoretical and methodological framework for solving the research problem. The scientific novelty of the research. The study uses projective techniques to identify historical images that influence the formation of specific political analogies regarding the present and future of the country. The images and factors influencing their choice among respondents are determined. Results. According to the results of the study, it was revealed that the participants formulate images of the present and the future, referring primarily to the events and actors of the Soviet and imperial periods of national history. It has been established that the same image can have opposite connotations. The respondents agree on how they assess the present and future of Russia but differ in those specific images that they compare with the description presented. Conclusions. Historical images become understandable and natural material for forming political analogies. However, the respondents’ explanations reveal contradictions in the descriptions that are not reflected by the participants themselves. Thus, the sphere of historical images becomes a space of common places in form, but not in content.
