The quote you provided is from a book by Tony Bennett called "The Birth of the Museum".

In this
quote, Bennett is criticizing the concept of "popular culture" as it is currently understood. He argues
that the term "popular culture" is so broad and all-encompassing that it is almost meaningless, and
that it can actually hinder our understanding of the cultural phenomena it is meant to describe.

Bennett suggests that the term "popular culture" is too general and lacks a clear definition. It can
encompass a wide range of cultural practices, including music, film, television, sports, and more.
However, because the term is so broad, it can be difficult to draw any meaningful conclusions or
insights from it. Bennett argues that popular culture is often used as a catch-all term for anything
that is not considered "high culture", without any consideration for the specific cultural practices
being described.

Moreover, Bennett suggests that the term "popular culture" is often used in a contradictory and
confusing manner. It can refer to both the cultural practices of ordinary people as well as those
created and promoted by the media and other commercial interests. As a result, the term can lead to
a misdirection of inquiry, where scholars and researchers end up focusing on the wrong things or
making incorrect assumptions about the cultural practices they are studying.

Overall, Bennett is arguing that the concept of "popular culture" needs to be more carefully defined
and contextualized if it is to be useful in understanding contemporary culture. He suggests that we
need to move beyond simplistic binary distinctions between "high culture" and "popular culture" and
instead focus on the specific cultural practices that we are interested in studying.

By "theoretical blind alleys", Tony Bennett is referring to ways of thinking about popular culture that
lead to dead ends, or to lines of inquiry that do not actually produce useful insights or knowledge.

For example, if researchers or scholars approach the study of popular culture with preconceived
notions or assumptions, they may end up focusing on the wrong aspects of culture or drawing
incorrect conclusions. They may also get caught up in debates or discussions that are not actually
relevant to understanding the cultural practices they are studying.

Bennett is suggesting that the term "popular culture" can lead to these kinds of theoretical blind
alleys, because it is so broad and all-encompassing that it can be difficult to know where to begin or
what to focus on. He argues that we need to be more precise and specific in our approach to
understanding popular culture, so that we do not end up wasting time or resources on unproductive
lines of inquiry.