Abstarct: This study investigated the effects of using local cultural texts, specifically Arabic and Iraqi literature, translated into English, on the identity and engagement of Iraqi EFL students in reading classes. In Iraq, English language teaching has long relied on textbook-centred curricula that leave out the realities of Iraqi life, resulting in superficial reading and low student engagement. Although culturally responsive teaching has received considerable scholarly attention, empirical evidence from the Iraqi EFL context, particularly from studies adopting a narrative approach, remains limited. This study adopts a narrative inquiry approach, using an interpretive design to investigate the experiences of four undergraduate students at the University of Babylon over a period of eight weeks. In-depth narrative interviews, reflective journals and focus group discussions were analysed through Clandinin and Connelly's (2000) three-dimensional narrative inquiry space, encompassing the dimensions of temporality, sociality, and place. The findings revealed that culturally resonant texts encouraged students to engage in transformative identity negotiation as bilingual learners, redefining English as a means of cultural affirmation and self-exxpression while demonstrating higher levels of behavioural, emotional, and cognitive engagement. Four thematic threads came to the fore: recognition and cultural reflection; the transition from alienation to authorship; emotional, spiritual, and cognitive resonance as a scaffolding tool for learning; and the reconceptualisation of English as a core for local cultural exxpression. The results of the study indicate that the affirmation of the cultural heritage of students in a foreign language class is conducive to identity affirmation and meaningful learning.