I've heard "homosociality" used to describe how menfolk tend to be more eager to please the other fellas in their immediate circle rather than their own womenfolk. Construction workers whistling at lady passers by is an example - as means of attracting female companionship, it's less than worthless - they do it to feel like one of the guys. Egghead's way of saying male bonding, perhaps.

So, I guess this doctoral candidate and budding Chapters employee is saying that there's a female version of homo-soco, and that it's a vital theme in some book nobody has ever read.

Does anyone remember a fracas at some stateside university awhile back? Some science prof wrote a paper arguing that literary deconstruction was a manifestiation of physical science, and that the writings of Foucault and Lacan and Derrida et al. could thus be considered as a type of scientific forumula. The deconstruction types were overjoyed because here was "scientific" validation of their discipline. Only problem was that the scientist was having a huge laugh at their expence - his paper was just vapouring po-mo cant that meant nothing, and his point was to expose the nullity of their work.

BART: "Look at me, I'm a grad- student! I'm 30 years old and made six-hundred dollars last year!"

MARGE: "Bart! Don't make fun of grad-students. They just made a terrible life choice."