<![CDATA[Although locally familiar images are increasingly used in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) vocabulary instruction, their potential to affirm the cultural identities of peripheral and minority communities remains insufficiently theorized. This study examines the design and immediate classroom outcomes of a place-based intervention using coastal imagery with 32 Indonesian EFL undergraduates. Rather than treating familiarity solely as a cognitive resource, the study investigates how locally meaningful visual representations can support cultural identity affirmation while developing English vocabulary. A mixedmethods design was employed. Students completed pre- and post-tests measuring their selection of contextually appropriate adjectives before and after a 105-minute instructional sequence centered on coastal images. Structured classroom observations complemented the test data by documenting students’ engagement, responses, and identity-related interactions during learning activities. The findings indicate that coastal images function as more than semantic anchors or aids to vocabulary retention. They become critical cultural sites where students recognize, negotiate, and articulate local coastal identities within the framework of global English. The study argues that place-based pedagogy in EFL should move beyond decorative authenticity, in which local culture is included merely to make materials appear relevant. Instead, teachers and materials designers should deliberately use local visual resources to validate minority and peripheral linguistic identities, encourage culturally meaningful participation, and connect students’ lived experiences with English language learning. The study offers a bounded, identity-focused design heuristic for ASEAN-relevant EFL contexts across diverse Indonesian and ASEAN educational settings. It concludes that culturally sustaining pedagogy can bridge local heritage and global English proficiency when place-based images are treated not simply as instructional illustrations but as resources for identity work, participation, and linguistic empowerment.]]>
