"Provocative, searing, controversial, and thought-provoking!"—Laetitia Rispel, University of WitswatersrandIn this latest entry in HSRC’s State of the Nation series, the authors focus on fresh perspectives on notions of the quality of life and wellbeing in South Africa. Their work reflects two fundamental arguments: that economic factors alone do not determine quality of life, and that typical concepts of income inequality do not adequately encompass such variables as race, gender, and culture. Not least, they also argue that how people make lives and contribute to the lives of others must be considered alongside more traditional variables to paint an accurate picture of quality of life and wellbeing.