Anti nationalism Critics of nationalism have argued that it is often unclear what constitutes a " nation", or why a nation

should be the only legitimate unit of political rule. A nation is a cultural entity, and not necessarily a political association, nor i s it necessarily linked to a particular territorial area - although nationalists argue that the boundaries of a nation and a state should, as far as possible, c oincide.[52] Philosopher A.C. Grayling describes nations as artificial construct s, "their boundaries drawn in the blood of past wars". He argues that "there is no country on earth which is not home to more than one different but usually coe xisting culture. Cultural heritage is not the same thing as national identity".[ 53] A snack bar sign advertising "American" fries at Knott's Berry Farm. The sign fo rmerly read "French". Nationalism is inherently divisive because it highlights perceived differences b etween people, emphasizing an individual's identification with their own nation. The idea is also potentially oppressive because it submerges individual identit y within a national whole, and gives elites or political leaders potential oppor tunities to manipulate or control the masses.[54] Much of the early opposition t o nationalism was related to its geopolitical ideal of a separate state for ever y nation. The classic nationalist movements of the 19th century rejected the ver y existence of the multi-ethnic empires in Europe. Even in that early stage, how ever, there was an ideological critique of nationalism. That has developed into several forms of anti-nationalism in the western world. The Islamic revival of t he 20th century also produced an Islamic critique of the nation-state.